Home is where the heart is
by theEveningStars
Summary: Lucy is celebrating her 18th birthday when suddenly her wish comes true. All four of the Pevensies are swept off to a far darker Narnia where they find not only evil lurking but betrayal, kindness and love. All four Pevensies will have OCs.
1. Surprise

Welcome. I have been planning this story for a long time but here and now it finally comes out onto paper (Well really a computer screen, but I think that we can omit that small detail). Anyway hope you enjoy the story and as always reviews are loved and adored.

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><p><strong>Home is Where the Heart Is.<strong>

Chapter 1 - Surprise

Edmund looked out the train window, the world seemed to rush past him, like it had nine years ago. His largest adventure had started on a train, going out into the countryside. That train nine years ago had led Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund to a house, a house with many rooms, one you could easily get lost in, but it was only one room that really mattered to them. One of the spare rooms at the top of the house, it contained a wardrobe; the wardrobe contained a world called Narnia.

Narnia – the place of dreams, a world, a lifetime. All four of them longed to return, their times there had all been too short and too few, but they could not return. Aslan had told them so. But there was still hope, they all clung on to it, desperately, never failing to wish to return every single day.

The dusk of England settled over the land and Edmund watched it, the change from day to night, the link between the light and the dark, the ending of the light, the beginning of the darkness before the evening. Many people feared the dark, and what it symbolised, but Edmund did not, he knew the dark showed you things which the light could not if only you knew how to look. He looked at the stars rising to crown the sky with their regal realm.

Across from Edmund, Lucy was looking out of the window and thinking. Tomorrow she would turn eighteen, for the second time in her life; she was being taken by Edmund to the countryside, near to the professor's house, the place where they had first entered Narnia. They all had a special bond with that part of the country. Their parents presumed it was because of their evacuation, but the four siblings knew why, and kept it secret.

But there would be no going into Narnia this time, just relaxing in the peaceful English countryside as the birds sung them their sweet songs of spring. Once Lucy had found out that Edmund was taking her she had been ecstatic and in her delectation she had immediately called Peter and Susan to see if they could come and reminisce old times. Peter had said that his university exams were fast approaching and he had not left enough time for studying, but he had promised that after he had finished all his exams he would take Lucy wherever she wanted to go to make up for not seeing her on her birthday. Lucy forgave Peter.

Her next telephone call was to Susan in America. Susan did not answer the phone her roommate did, and a sudden hope washed over Lucy, if Susan had not picked up the phone perhaps she was on her way back to England. However no such surprise greeted her. Susan's friend informed Lucy that Susan was out with a certain Beau of hers in the 'Rockies' and she wouldn't be back out next week. Lucy was not angry at Susan's friend, she was only conveying a message but how could Susan have been so heartless so as to not even left a telephone number with which Lucy could call her with. Lucy was not angry with Susan, just sad.

Still smiling Lucy called her parents. They said they would be pleased to come and Lucy rejoiced, until she received a phone call back saying that it was too far from the train station to walk for father, with his bad leg. So it was just Lucy and Edmund travelling up to the coast to celebrate her 18th birthday.

"You only turn eighteen once." Lucy said out loud without meaning to.

"Don't worry Lu;" Edmund said, seeing and understanding how disappointed his sister must be. "I'll make sure that we'll have a great time." Edmund put a comforting arm around her. The train drew to a stop and Edmund took both their suitcases as they marched out onto the platform.

"So Ed, how far away is this house?"Lucy asked slinging her arm into his as she often did.

"A twenty minute walk, but a pleasant walk nonetheless. There are some shortcuts through some fields if you like." Edmund started to walk Lucy tagging along. "And if you've got suitable shoes of course."

"I'd love a cuppa tea so the faster we get there the happier I'll be." Lucy said laughing, she had always been close with Edmund, especially after their trip on the dawn treader.

The two of them walked at a fast pace arm in arm and snuck across fences into pastures where they were not allowed to go into. Lucy felt free and started to run and when she had reached the end of the field she stopped and turned around.

"Come on, catch up slow coach." She shouted back to Edmund who was still quite far behind.

"Hey Lu, I'm carrying your suitcase. I can't walk too fast while carrying all these clothes that you thought necessary to pack."

"I didn't pack _that_ much. I packed less than Susan would."

"You still took more than I did."

"Well you don't have a sense of hygiene, so you don't change clothes as often as I do."

With this Edmund dropped the suitcases and run at Lucy catching her in one big swipe, he then lifted her up and walked over to a rather large pile of cow manure. Lucy knowing what her brother was going to do shout out for him to stop.

"Now I don't think I quite heard you correctly, my _darling_ little sister, would you care to repeat what you just said."

Lucy clung to her brother's neck and said with her most angelic voice

"I love you, dearest darling brother, now would you please let me go."

"Yes now carry your own suitcase, dearest darling sister."

Lucy took her own suitcase and started strolling towards the house whose chimneys were just visible.

"Why it's beautiful Edmund." She shouted back to her brother.

Indeed the cottage was very sweet, green ivy enclosed it making it look very snug. Lucy ran as fast as she could to the cottage and knowing that the keys lay under the door mat quickly opened the door.

"Surprise!" A chorus made from the rest of her family shouted.

"Mum? Dad? Peter? Susan? I thought you all weren't coming."

"Well you sounded so disappointed over the phone we thought we had to come." Peter chimed in

"I thought you were studying Peter. Don't you have really important exams?"

"Lucy, honestly, what do you think is more important to me, you or my exams?"

Lucy threw herself around her oldest brother's neck and kissed his cheek.

She looked to her right and seeing her father she threw herself round him also.

"But father surely you didn't walk all the way here did you?"

"No of course not, darling. Peter arrived here first and picked the rest of us up by car."

"A nice old MG racing car too." Peter added

Susan sighed "Men and their cars."

Lucy unhooked herself from her father and went over to give Susan a hug and a puzzled look.

"I called you but your friend said that you were away in the 'Rockies'."

"Oh Lucy, you are so gullible." Susan said lovingly "Of course I wasn't, I just told her to say that if you called."

"Oh thank you for coming all the way from America to see me Susan."

"Well, I think it's high time we go inside and get a fire going." Edmund suddenly exclaimed from behind Lucy.

"Edmund!" Lucy once again threw herself around her brother.

"Lu, you just saw me, no need to hug me again." Edmund said giving her a puzzled look.

"You knew about all of this didn't you?"

"Of course he did, he organised it all." Mrs Pevensie pointed out

"Oh did you Ed, thank you." Lucy said squeezing Edmund even harder.

"Is she really turning eighteen tomorrow?" Edmund looked round at his family in disbelief and then looked down at his younger sister. "Well it was all Peter's idea."

"But it was you who came up here every weekend to sort things out." Peter replied quickly.

"Mum and dad funded it all though."

"And Su bought all the presents."

"Well, thank you everyone for your individual contribution, but how bout we go inside for some nice tea." Lucy said, feeling her stomach beginning to rumble.

"Good idea Lu."

Mr and Mrs Pevensie went first leading them into the dining room where cups of tea were already brewing and a beautiful cake was already laid out.

"We were going to give you the cake tomorrow on your birthday but we thought it would be nicer fresh and that you would be hungry after your long trip." Mrs Pevensie said looking with loving eyes at her youngest child. She did not have the good looks that Susan possed, but to Mrs Pevensie that did not matter, to her she was beautiful and far kinder than Susan was.

"Why it looks beautiful. Thank you Mum, Thank you Su." Lucy replied clasping her hands together with glee.

"You're welcome, dear. Susan said that she had tasted it somewhere in America and knew immediately that you would like it. Except she could not remember who had served it to her nor what it was called and nobody seemed to know the recipe so we sort of guessed our way through baking. We tasted some before we put it in the oven and it seemed delicious but we will see how it turned out."

Edmund had at this point just walked in and his eyes had immediately flown to the cake. He licked his lips and looked at his mother pleadingly, asking whether he could not have some.

"No, Edmund. It is your sister's." Mrs Pevensie replied with a mother's strictness "and Edmund would you just look at me for a second."

Edmund with a confused, looked at his mother and flicked a rather annoying strand of hair out of his face. Over his studies Edmund had not had time to cut his hair and over the past year it had grown very shaggy.

Helen Pevensie walked up to her younger son, who was quite a bit taller than her now and with scissors in hand moved so as to hack some of his hair off. Edmund realising what she was about to do stepped back and said

"Leave my hair alone. I've grown quite attached to it."

"But Edmund, you look like a dog that has just come of the street." Replied his mother moving yet another step forward.

"Your mother does have a point son." Added in his father, peeking over his newspaper that he was reading "Don't they have any hairdressers in Cambridge."

"They do. But for a start they're expensive and secondly I don't have time."

"I thought you had a job in a cafe, son."

"I do, but all my money is going on paying Aunt Alberta for my accommodation, not getting some fancy hair-do."

"Or all your money goes on having drinks down at the pub." Susan chirped in. Edmund gave her an evil glare.

"Susan!" Mr Pevensie said not jokingly "It is a man's job to go down to the pub while the woman looks pretty at home. Edmund here is just learning how to be a man."

"A man who looks like a mop." Susan replied

"How about we all stop discussing Edmund's hairstyle and get down to the important business of eating cake." Peter interrupted

"Good idea son."

And so the family sat down for the first dinner they had had together since Christmas. After Lucy had blown out the candles on the cake and wished for what she wished for every birthday – to return to Narnia, they all settled down and the boys discussed their studies and the girls discussed all that was happening in America. When Lucy had finished her slice she turned to Susan and said quite innocently.

"That was indeed the finest cake I have ever had. I am surprised that you remembered the recipe after all those years."

"Oh no Lu, I think I only tasted it this year."

"No Su, you are mistaken." Lucy lowered her voice. "It was my favourite cake from Narnia."

Susan always lost her nerve at the mention of Narnia, why did her siblings have to keep playing this game, it was stupid, they were adults now, Lucy was going to turn eighteen in a few days. It was time she expressed her feelings. "I am sick and tired of all this talk of an imaginary world. It never existed and it never will."With this Susan marched off upstairs slamming her bedroom door behind her.

Mrs Pevensie looked at her younger daughter curiously "What did you say, dear."

"I told her that the cake was from Narnia." Lucy looked at her brother's for support. Peter betrayed no emotion and Edmund tilted his head to remind her that they were in the company of their parents who knew nothing about Narnia.

"What's Narnia? Is it a bakery?" Mrs Pevensie questioned.

"Yes" Peter said before his youngest sister could say anything. "Well I'm off to bed, thanks for the cake."

Peter followed Susan up the stairs and the rest soon followed them to their beds. The night passed and Lucy's birthday came. The four of them were all going to go to the beach and they had all woken up early – much to Edmund's dislike. Lucy had opened her various presents, consisting mainly of dresses and make-up, not her favourite things, but nonetheless she did not complain. Susan led her upstairs to dolly her up, their argument from yesterday seemingly forgotten. When Lucy came down the stairs she looked completely different. Her hair was loose and her makeup had been done to professional standards. Her fashionable dress flew around her knees as she and her sister jumped daintily into the car.

"What took you so long? We were falling asleep." Edmund mocked a yawn so as to prove his point.

"While you two were fussing over the car, we were dressing so as to be beautiful." Susan replied haughtily.

"Well you can be beautiful later. We want to go to the beach today preferably."

"Well we apologise." Susan muttered sarcastically as she slipped into the back next to Lucy. Peter took the wheel with Edmund next to him.

"How fast can it go Pete?" Edmund asked.

"We'll see." Peter replied while pushing his foot against the accelerator. He turned around and grinned. "You two don't mind me going fast do you?"

"No. Course not." Lucy replied for both of them.

The car shot forward as Peter weaved through the country lanes. Susan began to look a bit queasy so she leaned forward and shouted to Peter above the roar of the engine.

"Please Peter, slow down."

"Come-on Su. Don't ruin the fun." Peter looked back at her and smiled reassuringly. However he didn't notice the truck coming towards them until Edmund and Lucy shouted.

"Peter! Watch out!"

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><p>Any reviews are adored.<p>

TheEveningStars


	2. A Birthday wish come true

Chapter 2 – A Birthday Wish Come True

Lucy woke up and squinted her eyes. There was a beautiful blue sky above her, tall trees all around her, sweet grass tickling her cheek and the sun shining down on her. It was warm, all nice and warm, she snuggled down and attempted to return back to the world of dreams.

The grass was soft, oh so very soft. But there was something underneath her back, it was hard and uncomfortable, she did not like it. She shifted over to stare at the annoying object, and she scowled at the root which had disrupted her pleasant sleep.

Where was the car? Had Peter parked it somewhere? She could have sworn they were going to the beach. Sudden change of plan, oh well not a bad change. It was nice here, almost as nice as Narnia. She thought back to those glorious days when they had ruled over the glorious land.

She looked around her and smiled as Edmund twitched slightly in his sleep and his hair fell in front of his closed eyes. Susan's makeup was still perfect, as she was lying on her back, with her perfectly curled hair perfectly laid around her sleeping form. Peter's mouth was slightly open as his chest rose and fell.

She ruffled her hair and found it was all matted and knotted. She needed a hairbrush now! Her bag must have been left in the car. But where was the car? She crawled over to Peter careful not to wake the others and tapped her eldest brother gently on the shoulder. He opened his eyes slowly.

"What do you want Lucy?"

"I need to brush my hair and my hairbrush is back in the car. Where is the car?"

"Oh, I dunno." He said rolling over and shutting his eyes. "Su has a comb in her bag, ask to use it."

"No! You know how fussy Susan is about hygiene."

However Peter was already snoring and as she did not want to wake a grumpy Susan, perhaps Edmund might be a bit more helpful. She crawled over to her other brother and nudged him gently. No response – as usual. She shook him – again no response. She shouted in his ear.

"Oww, go away." He rolled over and fell back to sleep.

"We're in Narnia Edmund!" She shouted.

He sat up at once and looked around; and then he looked back at Lucy in wonder.

"We're in Narnia? But I thought we were never coming back."

Lucy started to laugh "Of course we're not in Narnia. I needed to wake you up."

"Oh." Edmund looked slightly disappointed "I wish we were."

"So do I." Lucy said thoughtfully

"Why did you wake me up anyway?"

"I was wondering where the car was cos I need a hairbrush."

"Car? What car?"

"The car we were driving to the beach with." Lucy said, annoyed that her brother was not fully awake and his brain not yet working.

"If we were going to the beach, then why are we in a forest?"

"You are even more unhelpful than Peter." She said sighing.

Susan was her final hope and she crawled over to Susan, amazed by the fact that her sister wasn't already awake, with the amount of noise Lucy had made waking Edmund up

Lucy shook her and Susan gently opened her eyes. The first thing Susan saw was the mess of her hair which she had curled so perfectly that very morning.

"Lucy what have you done to your hair."

"I know Su, I need a hairbrush. Do you mind if I use yours?"

"I told you to bring your own didn't I?"

"It's in the car and I don't know where the car is."

Meanwhile a magpie had flown down from the branches and was watching this whole conversation unravel with interest. It suddenly flew down and croaked out in its hoarse voice.

"There seems to be some problem about a comb. I happen to have a nice shiny comb which you can borrow, if you ask nicely."

Lucy stood staring at the magpie along with Susan. Susan blinked, rubbed her eyes and screamed. Peter having fully woken up now rushed over and clamped a hand over his sister's mouth. Lucy quickly regained her wits and replied to the magpie that she would like to borrow the comb very much indeed.

Peter had sat Susan down and she was shaking as if she was in the middle of the plains of Ettinsmoor.

"It is impossible. It's impossible. Animals cannot talk."

"Susan you let yourself believe it twice before. Surely you must remember Narnia, try and remember Narnia. Surely you remember Aslan. Aslan?"

Susan was struggling to get away but Peter's arms held fast around her waist

"Susan! Remember Susan. Aslan, that name."

"Aslan doesn't exist. You made him up."

Peter let Susan drop to the floor and sighed. Was there any hope left for his sister. Edmund rubbing the sleep out of his eyes was finally taking things into perspective.

"But Pete, Aslan said that we would never return. Are you sure this is Narnia?"

"No of course it isn't Narnia, it is some sort of weird dream." Susan replied sulking in the corner.

Peter was deep in thought – how could they have got here.

"What was the last thing you remembered Lu?" He asked – hoping she had some idea as to how they got here.

"We were in the car. You were going very fast ..."

"...and we crashed" Edmund finished off for her.

"Ah so this is a coma. This is all one big dream. None of this exists." Susan smiled at her new theory, it made sense to her.

The others sighed. When Susan had made up her mind there was no changing it.

"What should we do?" Lucy asked cheerfully. She looked around but nobody seemed to have any ideas. "Well, I think we should explore."

"Good idea Lu." Peter stood up and walked over to his sister. Edmund soon joined them but Susan remained sitting and pulled out a cigarette from her bag that she had clung on to throughout the crash.

"Well aren't you going to go and leave me in peace?" Susan huffed angrily

"Come on Lu." Peter pulled Lucy off but Edmund stayed put

"Aren't you coming Ed." Lucy asked

"I don't think that we should split up and if Susan is not going, we shouldn't go either."

"Just go Edmund. I want to be left alone." Susan huffed, puffing out cigarette smoke.

"But what if you get attacked?"

"It is a coma – nothing bad can happen to me."

"Please Su – if it is a coma nothing bad will happen with you if you come with us." Peter added.

"I can't be bothered."

"But then Su if you are in a coma this bother is not actually real." Both Susan and Lucy seemed a bit puzzled by what Edmund had just said but Susan was growing angrier by the minute.

"Can't you just leave me alone?"

"We will when you come with us."

"Fine!"

Susan stood up brushing herself down and puffed on her cigarette.

"Can you put that damn thing out? It stinks." Peter grumbled

"Cigarettes don't stink and it's calming my nerves so if you want me all stressed up then that's your choice."

"As if you already aren't" Edmund said under his breath.

The four of them kept walking in no particular direction. They met no animals and that magpie they had met earlier had seemed to have flown off. There was an eerie quiet over the forest. A cracking of a twig could be heard and Lucy turned around immediately. Seeing nothing she carried on and didn't bother her siblings about it. A strange rustling was suddenly heard and Peter stopped.

"Did you hear that?"

"What?" Susan looked frightened

"That may have been me you heard." A gruff voice said behind them

They all turned around and Susan screamed once again. In front of them stood an oversized pure white wolf, Susan grabbed her closest brother which happened to be Edmund and hid behind him quivering. Slowly five other wolves moved out from behind the trees – encircling them.

"We mean no harm friends." Peter said – taking up all his magnificence again "We are here by accident. We wish to know where we are."

The wolves were closing the circle and baring their teeth, Peter wished that he had Rhindon on him.

"Speak. I command you speak." Peter said once again

"Why should we obey you, when you should be the ones to obey us?"

"Indeed we are the ones who can hurt you; you have no weapons against us." A grey wolf added in.

"What do you want from us?" Peter demanded

"We want to know why you are here."

"I said before, we came here by accident." Peter was looking desperate, one pounce and he was dog meat – literally.

"Please leave us alone." Lucy said pleadingly

"Stop." Everyone's heads turned towards the voice. A young woman was standing there clothed in grey with a mask covering her face except her strange purple-grey eyes. Her form was slight but she stood up so tall that she gave off the figure of a tall woman. "Leuad, we have spoken off this before. If there are any strangers in this land they go to my father unharmed. Remember _unharmed_."

The white wolf looked down at his paws in shame.

"Thank you stranger, I thought that would be the end of me." Peter said not taking his eyes off hers.

She approached them and slipped through the enclosure of wolves. Each of the Pevensies noticed the bow in her hand and the beautiful quiver on her back. The bow was strung and all she needed was to snatch a bow out of the quiver and any of them would be dead.

"What strange clothes you wear and what a strange air hangs about you. An air which smells like smoke that would make you coughs up your own lungs. "

"Cigarettes don't smell." Susan said under her breath careful not to anger this potentially deadly woman.

"Who are you?"

"If we told you, you wouldn't believe us."

"Try me."

"I am High King Peter, this is Queen Lucy, King Edmund and that is Queen Susan."

"Ha, don't try that trick on me. I've seen it before. The four Kings and Queens of old will never return again to Narnia."

"I told you, you wouldn't believe us."

"If you are the Kings and Queens of old explain, please, why are you in Narnia?"

"Believe me – we have been trying to puzzle that one out as much as you have."

"Leuad!" She shouted turning to the wolf "Take them back to the castle with all haste. They will be a pretty present for my father."

"Of course Milady."

With this, the mysterious woman ran off into the trees out of their sight.

"Come on now, Your _Majesties_." Leuad said, sarcasm filling his voice.

The wolves set off at a trot and the Pevensies had to jog to keep up with them. Susan soon tired and sat down on the damp ground, a wolf immediately ran back and started to growl at her.

"Have you ever tried running in high-heels."

The wolf only growled further. Edmund seeing that his older sister was in trouble ran back to help her.

"Come on Su, run without your shoes."

"But ..."

"We have little option. Look give me your bag, I'll carry it."

"Thanks."

And so they jogged a good long distance, without rest, to Cair Paravel.

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><p>One little review? Maybe?<p> 


	3. Cair Paravel once more

Chapter 3 – Cair Paravel Once More

The four of them drew in sight of the magnificent castle, sweating and panting. Peter and Lucy stopped first and Edmund soon caught up dragged a limping Susan behind him. Each of them stood before the great white gates of the city in which they had once ruled, still amazed by its beauty. Even though it had been rebuilt, it looked identical to the original Cair Paravel.

"Come on, lazy bones." The lead wolf, Leuad, shouted.

They walked across the draw bridge and into the palace. They were led through countless hallways but each of them knew where they were heading, they had walked these castle floors so many times. They were heading for the throne rooms.

They reached two large double doors where two centaurs stood guard. The wolves said that they were expected and the centaurs led them in. The hall was still as beautiful as ever and their thrones had been remade. An old eagle was perched on a chair that was set by the thrones but otherwise there was nobody in the hall.

Once the four of them had made their way up to the thrones the wolves bowed to the thrones and silently padded out. None of them knew what to say or do, they did not know whether to address the eagle or wait for something else to happen.

The eagle suddenly took flight and changed into an old man with long grey hair and purple eyes similar to those of that woman in the forest. He stood tall in front of them and smiled at their expressions of surprise.

"My daughter said that you called yourselves the Kings and Queens of old who were never to return."

"We have no proof sire but try to believe us that we really are. Ask us any questions about Narnia concerning us and we can answer it."

"As you wish. Tell me exactly what happened when you arrived in Narnia and tell me all that happed up to your coronations."

And so Peter, Lucy and Edmund each took their turn in saying what happened and when they had finished the old man looked up at them and smiled.

"Indeed you tell the true story. Very few people know it now. Most people believe that all of you were perfect then. Most people – including the enemy think that you, King Edmund, did not betray your siblings but were simply captured by the White Witch and tortured into saying many things. Caspian the tenth changed the story after you had left. He said that too many people, who had never met you, judged you by what you had done and not by what you are, he believed that you did not deserve this. He changed the records and they have not been changed since."

"What happened to Caspian – he isn't dead is he?"

"Oh he died a long time ago – of old age. His son was king for some while but he was assassinated. This all happened over one hundred years ago and nobody has been king since. But please forgive me, I know your names yet you do not know mine. I am Eril, leader of what remains of Narnia, I am no King – more like a Governor. But tell me your majesties, what brings you to Narnia."

All the Pevensies looked at each other but none of them knew what to say. Eril saw this and sighed.

"I had hoped that Aslan had sent you here with a message for what we must do."

"I am afraid we haven't. But is there some sort of trouble in Narnia, sire."

"Trouble? You haven't heard?"

"I am afraid not sire."

"Well, where to begin, there is a man called Sorugyn who has brainwashed many of the people here in Nanria – literally. They do exactly as he commands, the taxes are incredibly high, and anything expensive is his, so even the nobles live like peasants. We have scraped a living by in Cair Paravel and if we have anything of value we tell nobody. Your presents that you received from Father Christmnas had to be hidden away also. We hid your sword and shield, King Peter, in the north – the area which was under your command, your bow, arrows, quiver and horn, Queen Susan, are in the south. Unfortunately, Queen Lucy, when you're cordial and dagger were on the way to be hidden in the east they were captured and they have passed out of our knowledge. As Sorugyn found no use in your sword, King Edmund, that remains here.

"But that is not all he has done to Narnia. All men over 18 are enlisted in the army, this leaves the women to work on the land and still have the duty to bear children, and it is law that all women must be married by the age of 25 and have produced a child by 28. If you do not then you are sent away- nobody knows where and nobody ever returns. The system is not working. In secret I am raising an army to fight against him and rebel troops have gathered in the north in very large numbers, however they do not know that we plan to attack Sorugyn and well your arrival seems to be a sign that we should go to war, perhaps you would consider going to their camp in North and telling them that we go to war and leading them in battle."

"We have just arrived in a barren land, ran all the way to this stupid castle and now you want us to all go way up to the north of this fruitless land and go to war. No thanks."

"Susan shush! How many troops do we have and how many does Sorugyn have." Said Edmund, already going into battle mode.

"They have far many than we have but we are not sure about those troops in the north – we cannot say how many troops are there."

"Would it not be better to split up and for us to go to the east, south and west as well as the north to gather troops?"

"In the east Sorugyn is based, you will find no rebels there. There are few rebels that we know of in the south and the land in the west is indeed treacherous, my men know no way as to look for troops there – the ways are too rocky."

"Then at least we should split up and some of us go north and some of us go south."

"Hmm, not a bad idea."

They sat in silence for a moment until Lucy interrupted Eril's thoughts and said.

"Sorry sir but I have never seen someone who has changed from animal to human like that. If you don't mind me asking – what are you?"

"Oh, I am a shape shifter. We are a rare race and now our line grows ever thinner. A shape shifter can only be born if both parents were shape shifters. My daughter is the last known shape shifter."

"Can you change into anything you want?"

"No, when a shape shifter matures they are given an animal which is their other half. They can change into that animal whenever they then want. I am an eagle but my daughter is a..."

"Heron. I am a heron." All of them turned to look at the woman they had met earlier who had just entered. She had since changed into a long flowing dress and her hair which was so fair resembled the first falling snow at the very beginning of winter, hung down to her waist. A small boy was holding her hand and sucking his thumb. Picking him up, she walked over.

"My name is Ama. I am sorry we didn't get to know each other better at the forest."

"That is quite alright." Lucy finally said

"Can I not guide them father?" Ama said turning to her father

"You have been eavesdropping! I expected better from you. You may guide them..."

"Oh Thank you father. I can't wait spending time with the four monarchs of old."

"I did not finish my sentence, child. You are a heron – are you not meant to have patience. I was going to say that you may guide them to some spare chambers and find them some suitable clothing."

"Oh," Disappointment dripping from her voice "well come along then."

The Pevensies followed Ama and the young boy who was still holding her hand and had not removed his thumb from his mouth. Lucy trotted up to Ama and the boy and addressing the boy asked him his name. The boy however did not reply and only hid his face further into Ama's robes.

"He is Bradir." Ama said for him

"Hello Bradir. I'm Lucy." However charming Lucy tried to be Bradir only hid deeper into Ama's garments.

"Forgive him – he has seen too much blood and war in his four years. He saw his own mother and father die before his eyes."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you related?" Lucy asked interested in this small boy.

"He is my cousin's son."

"So he is a shape shifter as well?"

"No his mother was not – and if the blood is not pure then normally a shape shifter is not born but an ordinary human."

"Oh what a shame. What was his father's other form?"

"A ferret." They carried on the walk in silence. They approached the east wing of the castle. "Here are your rooms. Maids have already laid out clothes for you. Once you have finished please come down and we will dine."

"We thank you Lady Ama." Peter said kissing her hand. She smiled and returned down the hall.

Each of the Pevensies dressed into something far more Narnian and once they had all finished they went down countless hallways and many flights of stairs to the dining hall. Eril was standing there talking to a group of fauns. He turned to them.

"You changed faster than I expected – I am afraid that dinner is not ready yet but Ama is out on the training grounds practising her archery skills if you wish to join her."

"Susan and I will be most happy to go there. I think that both our archery skills need practice." Lucy said, happily dragging a more reluctant Susan with her.

"And you two men can go off to the armoury to see if they have any armour suitable for you." Eril added.

With this Susan and Lucy headed off towards the archery grounds which were still in the same place they had been in over a thousand years ago. They spotted Ama there, now without Bradir. She was pulling back the string of a loaded bow, took her time aiming and released. The arrow hit bull's eye. Lucy called out and Ama turned around and smiled at them.

Susan had, since arrival, grown less grumpy and at the sight of a bow and arrow waiting for her by the shooting range she almost smiled.

"Queen Susan, Queen Lucy, a bird flew here not long ago and told me you were coming so I prepared bows and arrows for both of you."

Susan quickly walked up to the one next to Ama and picked up the bow and stroked it lovingly. She tested the string a few times and plucked it and listened to its sound. Ama smiled as she watched Narnia's finest archer test one of Narnia's finest bows. Susan next took to inspecting the arrows, she ran her finger over the arrow head seeing if it was sharp enough. She ran her fingers through the fletching, testing the feathers .

"What animal do these feather's come from."

"Heron. They suit me best- but I heard that your bow was made from phoenix feathers – am I right?"

"Yes – but Heron is the next best thing."

Susan put an arrow to the bow and released faster than the eye could see and, as usual, the arrow hit centre.

"Queen Lucy, I don't think your sister will need any practice."

Laughing Lucy replied "No she won't. Please just call us all by our given names, Ama."

All three girls played around a bit and had several archery competitions. But by the end of all of it they were rolling on the grass and clutching their stomachs in pain from laughing so much. But suddenly a starling flew down from the sky and landing on Ama's shoulder whispered something into her ear.

"He says there is a horse approaching with a rider. He doesn't know whether it is dangerous. Be on your guard." Ama translated

"Should we go and see what it is." Lucy's eyes were brimming with hope at any sign of adventure.

"Certainly, but we must be careful."

All of the girls ran swiftly behind overgrown hedges until they grew in sight of this horse and rider. A tall black mare was limping slowly towards the castle – and Lucy's heart could only go out to it. The rider was not very visible to them but from what they could see it was draped in a black cloak and a piece of cloth covered its mouth and nose. The rider was sitting hunched bareback on the horse. As they watched from behind the safety of a hedge and Ama put an arrow to her string.

"What are you doing?" Hissed Susan "The horse is injured – there is no need to injure it more."

"I am more concerned about the rider. It is possibly a trap."

Ama released the arrow and it went flying inches past the rider's head. The rider lifting up its head turned to look at where the arrow was released from but this drained too much energy from them, causing them to fall from the horse and upon landing on the ground they did not stir.

Susan, with her gentle nature was not able to watch from the sidelines any longer and rushed over to the rider. The black horse however with its remaining strength attempted to kick at Susan but Lucy walked carefully over to it and muttered soothing words. When the horse had settled down and Ama was giving it some sugar she had handy, Lucy bent over the rider and pulled away the cloth from the rider's face.

The face was pale, cut and bruised yet had some graceful beauty to it. It was a woman. Her long black hair was sticking to her face with blood. The woman's eye's flicked open for a moment and Lucy gasped. She had never seen eyes that shade of blue. They were such a dark colour, such a beautiful dark colour. The rider moved her mouth as if to speak but Lucy told her to be still and not waste any energy.

Lucy immediately took control and ordered Ama to fly to the castle and tell them to send medics at once. Susan could do nothing but watch. The horse turned to Lucy and lay down by its master nuzzling it, the rider tried to move her hand so to stroke the thing but gasped in pain and Lucy pushed her hand back to the ground. The horse looked at Lucy stroking the hair of her rider and said

"Her name is Acontia."

"Acontia." Lucy whispered to herself "What a beautiful name. Rest Acontia, sleep. Help will come."

"We have come from the east" The horse continued "We have travelled far and my mistress is very hurt – please take care of her."

"I will." Lucy slid her hand underneath Acontia's back and lifted her up into a sitting position so that she could pour some water into her mouth. Acontia dutifully swallowed it and Lucy lowered her back to the ground. When she looked back at her sleeve it was now wet and red with blood.

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><p>A Big BIG THANK YOU to all those lovely people who have review, if there are any more lovely people out there please make yourselves known.<p> 


	4. Acontia

Chapter 4 - Acontia

Dinner seemed to pass slowly but Lucy was finally allowed to leave the table and she wasted no time going to the medical wing of the caste. She soon found Acontia who was still asleep yet the cuts and bruises on her face had all disappeard. She turned to nearest doctor who happened to be a stork and asked him how she was.

"You must see for yourself, your majesty. Her back was badly whipped and cut – we thought that it was almost beyond repair and so we massaged in some healing balm, wrapped it all up in bandages and prayed that she would survive, for she was so weak. A few hours later I myself unwrapped the bandages to reapply the balm and found not a trace of a scratch on her back. It is something unheard of."

"I cannot believe it. May I see?"

"Of course, Your Majesty." The stork rolled Acontia over with his beak and lifted up her shirt so as to reveal her back, and as the stork had said there was not even a scratch on her back. Lucy could not believe her eyes and reached over to the bed-side table to look at the balm the stork had used. It was just an ordinary herbal balm used for major cuts. She had used it herself during the Golden age, if her cut was serious but not serious enough for her cordial. She looked up and caught sight of the black mare lying on a patch of hay.

"How is her horse?"

"Tired, it has not woken up yet. It had some cut and bruises on its legs, but nothing serious. It will be up and running in a few days. We have found out that the mare is called Waen." The stork replied busying himself with mending his patients.

"Hmm, there is something strange about the two of them." Lucy said, putting back the balm and looking at the stork in confusion. "I would think them spies were it not for the fact that she was so badly hurt. Have you searched her possessions?"

"Yes – we found nothing of particular interest, no letters, nothing that would give her away. All she had were twin swords, two daggers, bow, quiver – no arrows. We also found a broadsword which only a man could have used. The cloak she was wearing was so stained with blood so we burnt it as it was beyond repair. The same goes with all her other clothes. The only thing of particular interest is that necklace around her neck. It glows in the dark."

Lucy looked at the object in question which was still around Acontia's neck. It was an ornate necklace, a small stone elaborately inlaid in silver, the stone seemed to be a diamond – a necklace only the wealthy could afford.

"What style is this necklace – it is not Narnian, Calormene perhaps? What about her swords? Where are they from?"

Lucy had learnt much about swords and the like from her brothers who could go on for hours about the different types of swords and how each country made them slightly differently.

"Her swords are currently with the blacksmith for inspection."

At this moment Edmund and Peter walked in chatting away and when they spotted Lucy they shouted out in joy. Lucy told them all what happened and the two of them pondered it.

"She is no doubt a spy." Peter said finally

"But why would they almost kill their own." Edmund retaliated

"To make it seem that she was not a spy."

"But Peter – when she arrived here she was almost dead. Nobody would have done that." Lucy said, and her brother looked at her and smiled at her naivety.

"They may have, again to make us really disbelieve that she was a spy." He replied.

"Peter, look at her. She looks too innocent to be a spy."

"Exactly my point. The more innocent and beautiful she is the easier it is for her to find out information."

"That is true." Edmund said agreeing with Peter.

"You should ask her." Lucy said

"Well hello there, excuse me, do you happen to be a spy." Edmund imitated. Lucy laughed at her own foolish idea.

"When she wakes up, bring her to us and we will question her, see why she came here, where she is from and things like that." Peter rounded off and Edmund pulled him away from her bedside.

Lucy looked at her patient and stroked her hair which had been washed of any blood. How could she be a spy? Any questions they would need would surely be answered soon.

* * *

><p>Within a few hours Acontia had been woken up and taken by Lucy to the great hall where the rest of the Pevensies, Ama and her father Eril were all waiting. Acontia had not said a word to Lucy but Lucy had been understanding and soothing, allowing herself to believe that the reason why Acontia was not speaking was because she was tired from her travel and no doubt scared of what awaited her.<p>

They reached the great hall and two guards opened the grand doors and shut them once they had entered. A circle of chairs had been set out and two were left free, Lucy took one and motioned to Acontia to take the other.

Eril looked at Acontia, stood up and walked towards her never looking away.

"We have been informed by the horse, Waen, who accompanied you here that your name is Acontia. You two have travelled from the east via the underground tunnels which stretch from Narnia to the Lone Islands."

This tunnel that stretched from the mainland of Narnia to the enemies stronghold had been built by Sorugyn for his army to use. It was a giant feat of engineering for its time - but now had fallen to minimal use, due to the lack of air and dampness of it.

"Is all that I have said true." Eril continued

Acontia returned his gaze but said nothing.

"Answer me!" Eril was growing impatient

_It is true_

Edmund looked at her, having heard a voice in his head. He looked around at the others, there was no reaction from them – they had not heard her voice. He stared at her and for the first time she stared back at him and did not look away.

"Look at me and answer me, or do you have no voice?" Eril said, calmer now yet more jeering.

_Tell them –tell them that what he said was true. _She did not look away from Edmund and he looked around the circle looking to see if nobody else had heard her.

"I think this woman is either deaf or dumb. Take her away." Eril said returning to his chair.

"No wait!" Edmund stood up suddenly and all eyes turned to him. He suddenly felt very small as if he were once again a child among all these grownups.

"Edmund?" Lucy said quizzically.

"What she says is true." He said, his voice echoing about the great hall, all puzzled eyes rested on him now.

"How do you know?" Eril asked

"I don't know – she spoke to me, inside my head."

"She spoke to you inside your head." Eril laughed in disbelief "What did she say."

"She said that what you said was true."

"Anything else."

"No."

"Ask her, who she works for."

Edmund relayed the question to Acontia

_I can hear what he is saying. I work for no one._

Edmund translated back to them. Eril continued to question her.

"You come here – unexpected, armed. You are young, beautiful, seductive – a perfect spy. It would be are natural reaction to think you a spy."

_I am no spy. I am here to help._

"Give us proof that you are not a spy."

_I have no proof. You can believe me or you cannot._

"Hmm, Let's say I choose to believe you. Tell me how did you get those cuts on your back and how did they heal so quickly?"

_I was tortured._

"Tortured for what? I do not recognise you; you are not a spy for us. What were you tortured for."

_That is a question I would rather not answer._

"You are in no position to bargain." Acontia did not respond to this but held steady eye contact with Eril. This seemed to unnerve him and so he turned away so his back was to her and continued questioning her.

"Where are you from? Our blacksmiths have looked at your swords and say that they are of finer make than anything they have ever seen before. Where are they from? Where were you born, where did you grow up, where did you get your swords from?"

_I was never born, I never grew up and I received my swords from the sky._

"Why do you not answer me straight? Why do you avoid the question?"

_I answered the question quite simply. But to put it more 'straight' I am not a daughter of eve._

"Then what are you."

Gasps of shock involuntarily left everybody's mouths as Acontia slowly began to shine. She looked at each of them in turn smiling at their shocked expressions.

"She is a star!" Lucy finally said "She's just like Coriakin and Ramandu. Remember Edmund."

"I remember." Edmund replied while everybody was still in shock.

_You are right Queen Lucy. But please I have important information to tell you._

"Speak – say what you have to say."

_Sorugyn is raising an army who will fight to death and are far stronger than you have ever imagined. Your troops and the troops in the north are not enough to fight them. You must also travel south and west to fetch troops. There is a camp in the west which holds thousands of troops – the way there is treacherous but it is possible to get there._

"How do we know that you are not lying?"

_Once again you cannot. You can either believe me or not._

"Show me on the map where this camp to the west is. A map was brought to them and Acontia pointed her finger right to the western borders of Narnia.

"There is no safe way to get there. Ama, remind me to send out some birds to see if our guest is not lying. Acontia you may leave us now."

Acontia stood up and Lucy walked away with her, escorting her to the Medical Wing so she could rest and see her horse Waen again. Meanwhile the others remained in silence.

"I am at a loss at what to think." Eril said sitting down. "Somebody who could be a perfect spy comes out of the blue and tells us we are going to be attacked and that we don't have enough troops. She tells us to go to the very borders of Narnia where it is almost impossible to go and fetch some troops. What do you think? Do you think she is a spy?"

There was a lengthy silence until Edmund pointed out "She is a star. For all I know stars have always served Aslan. Maybe she is a gift from Aslan himself."

"She has come from the east – from the Lone Islands, Sorugyn's strong point. Is it not possible that she was corrupted there and that her torture was only to fool us to trust her." Peter responded.

"But what she has said – we will soon find out whether is not she is lying. We will send scouts out to see whether what she has aid about the west is true. She would not have so lied so openly if we could prove it against her. Her information, how could it mislead us?" Ama said passionately.

"Hmm. Queen Susan – you have not yet spoken." Eril said, pondering all what the others had already said.

Susan looked up and around. "I think that if we are to go to war then we should have as many troops as possible. I believe that if you want to go to war then you should gather troops from the South, North and West. Of course, once you have seen if there are any troops in the west."

At this point Lucy entered and had just heard what Susan had said. She having quickly formed an opinion said "I think that we since we have been sent to Narnia should travel North, South and West to gather troops for you. We each used to know Narnia so well, but each of us knew the part we governed over best. Peter, you should go north and gather the troops. Edmund, you should go west – if there are any troops there. Acontia said she knew how to get there and so she can be your guide, and Susan you can go south into Calormen."

"What about you – Queen Lucy. Where will you go?"

"Susan is still not too sure about Narnia – so I will go with her." Lucy replied giving her sister an encouraging smile.

"Father." Ama said "May I go north. I have never been on an adventure and I know the shortest ways up north. Mother and I used to travel there so much when I was younger. Please father."

"I lost your mother. I cannot afford to lose you Ama."

"Please father. I'm sure High King Peter will keep me safe."

"Hmm, I will think about it."

"Father it will be revenge for mother's death. Think of it like that – and I will be most careful."

"I said I would think about it. Now it is high time you all go to sleep."

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><p>Well, you like, dislike, you could tell me in a review.<p> 


	5. Kissing in the Rain

Chapter 5 – Kissing in the Rain

Edmund turned in bed slowly as he woke up. He stretched his stiff, sleeping muscles and turned his head so as to look out of the window which was letting in far too much light. He had to do something about walked over to the window and before closing the blinds so he could go back to sleep he breathed in the beautiful Narnian air. It was so pure and unpolluted. It wasn't like the air back in London, all car fumes and cigarette smoke. He sighed, flopped back down onto the bed and closed his eyes.

Too soon was he woken up by Peter shaking him so roughly he was sure he would fall off the bed at any moment.

"Gerroff."

"What was that?" Peter said knowing Edmund would get only angrier

"I said get off." Edmund enforced his point by whacking his brother with his pillow

"Oh sorry I didn't hear." Peter replied teasingly.

"Yeah, right. What do you want?" Edmund said rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"You know it's just gone midday."

"What? I only meant to sleep another 10 minutes. Shit – why the hell didn't anybody tell me."

"Language, brother." Pete smiled – this was his good old brother. Sleeping in until all hours and then cursing because he hadn't woken up earlier.

"Sorry. Daisies – why the butterflies didn't anybody wake me up." Edmund replied sarcastically.

"Better. Because whoever woke you up knew that they would be massacred to death by being hit by a pillow."

"Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint you." Edmund picked up his pillow and whacked Peter so hard that he fell off the bed.

"Oww." Peter grabbed the closest pillow and hit his brother back and so erupted a pillow fight.

"Boys." Both Peter and Edmund turned around to look as their youngest sister watched in horror as what should have been men acted as young boys.

"Act your ages. Peter – go out and do something useful – Edmund lets go and see if we can scoop up some breakfast for you."

"Yes ma'am." Peter gave a mock salute and headed out of the door. He walked down the corridor and looked out of the window. It was raining and grey. How horrible – he hated being stuck indoors. Out of the great glass window he could see the archery grounds and in the rain stood a small figure practicing her archery.

Ama pulled the bow and unlike Susan she took her time with aim. She patiently waited for the wind to stop blowing so hard and then her pale hands let go of the string. It did not hit perfectly and so she tried again. Peter watched her and smiled at her taking her time, he had seen so little patience recently. Everything had to be done as quickly as possible nowAmays. There was no time for stopping and watching.

Peter thought – no he knew that his archery needed improvement. He decided he could use a lesson and that a pretty instructor would be just the thing to cheer him up. He jumped down the stairs as he once did in his first few days of being king, or in other words before all his instructors had told him that to be a king you had to act like one, therefore a king must walk regally and not jump.

Peter burst through a servant's entrance and felt the cool drops of rain on his face. He took a turn left and was confronted by the rose garden which held a shortcut that led to the archery grounds. He started walking quickly towards the centre of the rose garden which was surrounded by high hedges and he knew that in the centre there was - or at least used to be when he ruled Narnia an amazing statue made purely of pure gold.

He rounded the corner and arrived at the gold fountain which in being rebuilt had lost none of its previous splendour. But sitting by the fountain was Acontia running her hands through the water – fishing out the stray rose petals. She was soaked to the bone but was shining and the damp weather didn't seem to bother her at all. Her light was warm and friendly and Peter drew closer.

Her eyes were closed and all scars on her face were gone – much like what had happened to her on her back. She looked at ease. He drew closer and Acontia realising that she was not alone stood up abruptly, curtsied and began to leave.

"No, wait. Don't go yet." Peter shouted after her. She turned on her heal and looked back at him smiling not saying a word – because she couldn't.

"No stay here. You looked so peaceful. I didn't mean to disturb you. Stay here with me."

Acontia returned to sitting down on the fountain ledge but she was no longer at ease or shining for that matter.

"Do you choose when you can shine, Acontia?" Peter said testing out her name on his lips.

She nodded her head. Peter watched as her raven hair fell in front of her eyes and her delicate fingers had to push it back to its former place, her sleeve fell back slightly revealing her perfectly formed wrists. Peter fought to tear his eyes away.

"I am not yet quite used to you not answering me. It seems strange." Peter paused and looked deep into her understanding eyes "I was just about to ask you why can't you speak but then I realised how stupid that question would be." Acontia smiled in agreement.

A sort of awkward silence lay between them as Acontia watched the fountain and Peter watched Acontia. Rain was dripping down her hair and past her neck. Her beautiful neck.

'What's wrong with me' Peter thought to himself. The awkward silence continued.

"It's a shame Edmund's not here – he could translate for us." 'Or maybe it is better he is not here' Peter banished that thought from his head – uhh what was wrong with him.

"Did you sleep well?"

Acontia smiled and nodded her head.

"Where do you sleep?" Why did he ask that question?

She pointed to the west wing of the castle.

"Oh, I slept in the east wing of the castle and I have an amazing view of the sea from there. Do you want to see it?" Peter stood up and Acontia had little option but to follow the king.

The rain started to fall heavily now and by the time they had reached the castle they were both soaked. As soon as the rain had started to pour down they had both started running and Peter being taller, a man and not wearing a dress ran faster but being a gentleman had realised that Acontia in her dress could not run as fast, ran back for her, picked her up and carried her all the way to the castle. Both of them were laughing by the time they reached shelter.

They rushed up to Peter's room leaving a trail of water behind them. They finally reached the room and Peter was panting and Acontia smiled back at him.

"You're soaking." Peter said. Acontia pointed at him and laughed. Peter looked down – suddenly worrying that something was wrong with him.

"I'm also soaking" He said laughing.

Peter walked into the ensuite and brought out two towels carefully wrapping a towel around Acontia his hand brushing her neck. Acontia did not seem to notice the contact – but Peter's body tingled at the touch.

"Let's go onto the balcony and see the sea. That's what you came for after all."

Peter opened the door for her and she stepped out and gasped. The view was amazing and had never failed to amaze to him either. She turned to smile at him and if she could speak he was sure that she would have said 'Thank You'. She returned her gaze to the sea. The sea seemed angry now and a storm was brewing. Peter drew closer to her until he was but inches away.

"If you look carefully you can just see Galma on the horizon. Can you see?"

Acontia squinted her eyes and stared but she was looking too far north.

"No you're looking in the wrong direction. Galma is over there." Peter stood behind her and carefully placed one hand on her shoulder and pointed with the other to where the tiny dot of Galma was. "Can you see it now?"

She turned to look at him and nodded. Just as she was about to turn her head away Peter took her chin in his hand, brought her face to his and kissed her. She struggled but he persisted, she tried to push him away but the more she pushed the more he pulled her closer to him until he could feel every curve of her body.

Acontia struggled and struggled until there was nothing left to do but slap High King Peter which she did – and hard. Pushing him away she ran for the door, Peter was shocked – but he was not only shocked that someone had slapped him – The High King of Narnia, but that he had kissed her. What had led him to do that? Yes, she was pretty but he had no feelings for her that way. Acontia meanwhile had just reached the door and upon opening it found Edmund on the other side. Looking at him for a moment she then fled and ran, leaving only slightly drier than before.

"She said 'I am most sorry for what I did. Please forgive me your majesty.' She told me to tell you that she said that. What does she mean?"

"Is that we she said? I should be the one apologising, not her." With this Peter made to go out of the room but was stopped in his tracks by his younger brother.

"If she wanted to be with you and accept your apology she would still be here. However she fled, very quickly, and so I believe she wanted to be left alone."

Peter returned to his bedroom, sat on his bed and put his head in his hands. "What have I done?" He sighed

"I don't know – what did you do?" Edmund asked

"Something I would rather not tell you."

"Don't worry. Everybody has been acting a bit strangely today. During breakfast Lucy spilt some juice on herself and so after breakfast she went to change into a different dress. The servant which was helping her put the dress on fastened it a bit too tightly and Lucy turned around and literally screamed at her. It was scary as I have never seen Lucy so angry before and later we went down to see Eril and I think Susan was trying to flirt with him. It was a very strange sight."

"There must be something in the air that is making us all go crazy."

* * *

><p>Later that day they all met up in the great hall including Acontia. Peter tried to catch her eye and mutter an apology but she refused to look at him. Eril stood up and addressed them all.<p>

"Our scouts which flew out to the west have confirmed the camp which Acontia mentioned yesterday. We have also received some information of a large group of cats in the south who are prepared to fight for Narnia. We have sent messengers to the north which will expect your arrival. Queen Lucy I believe has a plan so would you please explain it to us."

Lucy stood up, looked around at her audience and said the same as she said yesterday about each of them going North, South and West with a guide. Eril had organised a mouse called 'Nutchit' to guide Susan and Lucy in the south. Nutchit happened to be a descendant of one of Reepicheep's guard and was as sweet as Reepicheep himself. Acontia agreed that she would show Edmund the way and Ama was allowed to go with Peter, much to her delight.

"I have prepared horses for each of you and you will set out tomorrow at midday. Please go now and sleep well." Eril said after all was explained but before Edmund left the hall, Eril pulled him aside.

"I will send a guard with you – he will not leave your side. Truth be said, King Edmund, I do not trust this Acontia. She has come at the opportune moment for a spy to come– it is strange, what is your opinion on her?" Eril whispered so that nobody else could hear him.

"Much the same as yours sire. I will keep an eye on her and send news if anything should go wrong."

"Thank you. You have calmed my heart. Look after yourself."

"I will."

* * *

><p>Edmund woke up – the Narnian sun greeting him once again. He had purposely left the curtains open so that he would wake up. It was strange – noise could hardly wake him up but light could. He walked over to his balcony and looked out at the sea. It looked like it would be a nice spring day today. The sun was rising and warming the place up and all the clouds had disappeared.<p>

Peter's balcony was only two metres away from his and so he went back inside his bedroom, tucked a pillow under his arm and jumped from his balcony to Peter's. Peter had of course left his balcony doors open and Edmund gently slipped through the closed curtains and entered Peter's dark room. It took a while for his eyes to adjust, and when they had adjusted he saw a sleeping Peter. Edmund quietly crept up and walloped him with the pillow he had brought with him.

Not even looking if Peter registered being hit Edmund dropped the pillow and fled from his room out the main door slamming it behind him.

"What's all that noise?" Lucy- who was fully dressed- said.

"Umm, nothing." Edmund said rushing back to his room.

"Isn't that Peter's room?" Lucy said not quite understanding what was going on.

"Yeah. It is." Edmund muttered, locking his door behind him so that Peter couldn't get in.

Edmund began to pack all the things that he would need. He double checked everything, strapped his sword onto his belt and strolled down the hall-way. After breakfast – triple-checking that everything was packed, being whacked by Peter with a pillow and checking his horse they all finally set off on their horses to their destinations.


	6. Deserted

really really sorry I haven't updated for sooo long but I have had so much work (literally working until 10pm) so haven't had much time for my beautiful avid readers. But anyway here it is. What I have decided to do from now on is to give on chapter to each character, so each chapter will be switching between stories, anyway after all of that I really hope you enjoy.

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><p>Chapter 6- Deserted<p>

Susan and Lucy

They had been travelling for four hours now at a steady pace and the horses were tired. According to Susan's map they should reach a town in the next ten minutes and should have seen it by now – but they could see nothing but trees and hills. Desolation.

"I can't wait for a stop." Squeaked Nutchit who was sitting on Lucy's shoulder.

"Neither can I." Lucy agreed.

"Well I say, let's get there faster shall we." Susan kicked her dumb beast on into a gallop and smiled back at Lucy silently challenging her to a race.

Lucy spurred on her own horse into a gallop and was almost catching up with Susan when they saw the village. Well, what once was a village, a village which had a bustling market and people living there, laughing there, being born there, dying there. Now it was abounded. A desolate town in a desolate place.

"Looks like I won." Susan said while Lucy dismounted Nutchit clinging desperately to her shoulder.

"Mice were not meant to travel so high up. Ugh, it is unnatural."

"Don't worry Nutchit, I would never drop you and neither would my horse." Said Lucy lowered the mouse to the ground

"Your horse is but a dumb beast."

"But a wise one – Eril chose it himself."

"Lord Eril may be wise but that does not necessarily mean that his horses are."

Lucy's mare seemed to understand what was going on and aimed a kick at Nutchit who skilfully dodged it. Mice and horses had never got along well and Nutchit and Lucy's mare were no exception.

"Shall we leave the horses here and explore the town without them." Nutchit offered, hoping to be as far away from the horses as possible.

"Good idea." Lucy said tying her horse to the nearest tree and Susan followed suit.

The three of them walked side by side through the abandoned town watching little birds fly above and tiny insects flutter fast their noses.

"I wonder what happened here. Why did they abandon this village?" Lucy said mainly to herself.

"It looks like this village was attacked, Milady." Nutchit added "No doubt by that evil Sorugyn."

"You have strong feelings for one so small." Susan said

"Oh, but your highness, I am not small. You are just incredibly large. I am big among by people. I am by no means small." Nutchit replied, anger hinting in his tone. The girls could not help but laugh."Oh so now I am a comedian."

"By no means, dear Nutchit, it is just to us daughters of eve you are small but then to mice we are big. It is a strange way of seeing things for us that is all." Lucy said

"But that does not mean that your heart is not twice the size of ours." Susan said smiling.

"Oh your majesty, you compliment me far too much." And once again the girls could not help but laugh at his remark.

The sisters smiled to each other, remembering the valour of Reepicheep, it had not seemed to have escaped the descendants of his guards. The three of them walked on in silence, Nutchit scuttling ahead.

Lucy and Susan rounded a corner and heard a pitter patter of feet coming towards them. And soon after a very strange person stepped out from among the trees into the light. He was much shorter than both Lucy and Susan and he carried above his head an umbrella, though for what reason he carried it I do not know. From the waist upwards he was a man, but his legs were shaped like a gaot's (the hair on them was glossy black) and instead of feet he had goat's hoofs.

He also had a tail, but neither Lucy nor Susan noticed this at first because it was so neatly caught up over the arm that held the umbrella so as to keep it from had a red woollen muffler round his neck and he had a strange, but pleasant little face, with a short pointed beard and curly hair, and put of the hair there stuck two horns, one on each side of his forehead.

One of his hands, as I have said,held the umbrella: in the other arm he carried several brown-paper parcels. He was a faun. And we he saw Lucy and Susan he gave such a start of surprise that he dropped all his parcels.

"Goodness gracious me!" exclaimed the faun.

"Good day." Said Lucy picking up his packages for him.

"Th-th-thank you." Stuttered the faun

"You're welcome." Lucy smiled at him. He reminded her most dearly of Tumnus and the first time they met. "May I ask your name, dear sir?"

"My name, you want to know my name." The faun seemed astonished that anybody was interested in him. "I am called Tumnus, ma'am, after the great faun who was great friends with the Kings and Queens of old."

"That is a strange coincidence that you are called Tumnus." Lucy said smiling

"And why is that ma'am."

"Because I am that very Queen Lucy that Tumnus was friends with."

The faun was too shocked by this too stay any words while Lucy smiled at him.

"Th-th-that is impossible. I heard rumours that Kings and Queens have returned b-b-but I never believed them. Your grace, please excuse my current state. If I had known I was going to bump into Queen Lucy the Valiant herself crowned by Aslan himself I would have groomed by beard and... and trimmed my hooves."

"My dear Tumnus. You remind me much of my old friend Mr Tumnus who was much like you."

"Oh – Oh Thank you, your majesty. Is there anything I can do for your grace?"

"Dear faun, we are much in need of a drink. Is your house far?"

"My house? No. It is but a five minute stroll. Please, follow me."

All three of them followed Tumnus through the deserted town, through a field until they reached a rock face in which there was a small door. Tumnus rushed ahead and opened it for them bowing as they went in. The girls giggled at his politeness and he blushed at their giggles.

"Welcome to my humble abode, your majesties."

"It's beautiful, it reminds me much of my dear Mr Tumnus' house." She looked around and a lone tear trickled down her cheek.

"Oh, Queen Lucy. I apologise, have I done anything to make you cry."

"Please, call me Lucy – just Lucy." Lucy forced smile at him. "It's just I am so glad that I am back, I forgot how beautiful Narnia really was. But my dear Tumnus, you have reminded me how beautiful and magical Narnia really is. I am sad that I will never see Mr Tumnus again, or the beavers, or Trumpkin, my dear little friend, or even Caspian." She fully burst into tears now and Susan sighed at her sister's soft heart.

"Oh please don't cry Lucy. Here have this handkerchief." Lucy smiled a thank you and wiped her eyes with it.

"Did you know Tumnus that when I first met Mr Tumnus I was the one to give him a handkerchief?"

"Well Lucy, it looks like positions have swapped slightly this time." Tumnus smiled at his Queen. She was so kind and friendly to him. He thought someone like this could tell no lies. "I invited you here for tea and look at me I haven't even started to get any tea or cakes out. What a bad faun I am."

The two girls sat down in big comfortable armchairs and Nutchit rested on Lucy's shoulder watching Tumnus' every movement. When Tumnus finally brought tea and cakes Lucy broke into another set of tears. Tumnus setting down the tea and cakes rushed over to Lucy saying that all was alright, Lucy was of course muttering apologies for being so tearful. Nutchit was muttering how even the finest of warriors must cry sometimes and Susan sat watching all of this.

'Why am I not up there comforting my sister?' Susan thought to herself 'Am I such a bad sister?' Susan grabbed a cup of tea and started sipping the steaming water. It burnt her tongue but she thought to herself that she deserved the scolding. She had been away in America making all the men swoon over her while Lucy was in her prime, she had been away from Lucy for so long. Lucy had been without her for so long. Lucy had grown up without her. She should have been there the talk to Lucy, give her helpful advice on her first crush, teach her how to apply make-up. Mother would never have taught her anything like that. She had left Lucy. She had deserted her.

Now that Susan looked back she had always put Lucy down. She had constantly told Lucy that Narnia didn't exist. Why couldn't she have just played along? What would Peter and Edmund would have done if they stopped believing in Narnia. Would they have still said that it exists – played along with Lucy's game or would they like Susan abandon her sister for 'nylons and lipsticks'. Only now did she realise that she had deserted not only Narnia but her family. She had deserted the people who loved her more that any handsome sailor and rich lawyer ever could. She was a deserter.

Susan felt tears beginning to form in her eyes but she pushed them back, forced them back. She had to be strong for Lucy. She was the elder she had to guide Lucy not weaken in front of her and by this time Lucy's own tears had retreated. Lucy loved Narnia. Lucy loved Narnia. Lucy loved Mr Tumnus, the Beavers, Trumpkin. But so had Susan – but Susan had chosen to forget them because that was easier than being sad.

"It's getting dark. We really should be going." Lucy said and only then was Susan ripped out of her thoughts. She looked out of the window and saw that indeed the end of the day was nigh. Her tea had grown cold and her eyes were red from holding back tears. But nobody noticed.

Susan stood up, thanked Tumnus for everything, put a comforting arm around Lucy and walked out the door. She was greeted by a blast of cold air which cooled her tear hot cheeks. She was glad Lucy hadn't noticed her.

That night they had began to sleep in the woods but Tumnus had found them and insisted that they should stay at his house and indeed Susan was glad not to have to sleep in a cold damp forest, but in a small squeaky bed. This was possibly the greatest luxury she was going to get in this whole trip. She sighed at the thought.

The next day came and that beautiful Narnian sun greeted them. It was a fine day and after a decent breakfast of bacon and eggs they set off. Tumnus had told them there was a temple of great importance to Narnians not far from the town and so they diverted their route there.

"I personally do not think that we should listen to that faun's advice and go to some temple that is so precious to Narnians that I haven't heard of it." Nutchit said, trotting beside Lucy who had decided to walk by her horse instead of sitting on it. Susan was relieved because it had been a long time since she had ridden and she felt like she had been beaten all over by sticks. Her legs and back ached so much she thought that if she had to ride any more she would surely die.

Susan had also been wary of Tumnus but how could she distrust her sister who had in the short time in which she had met him had grown attached to him. Susan realised that she loved her little sister and she would not abandon her- she would from now on always take her side.

"Ah look Su, Nutchit – there is that temple Tumnus was talking about. You can just see the roof."

'And all the tiles falling off.' thought Susan to herself.

They slowly walked to it and arrived at the steps leading up to its great wooden doors. Leaving the horses at the bottom they stepped carefully on the crumbling stairs. A battle had been here and even the rain had not washed all the bloodstains off.

"It stinks of death here." Nutchit said while scrambling up the steps.

"We should leave, Lucy. I do not like this place." Susan said tears welling in her eyes as she saw another carcass – this time of a centaur child.

"No. I want to see inside." Lucy persisted

"Please Lucy lets go back." Susan voice was on the verge of breaking and a lump had grown in her throat.

Lucy smiled back at her sister reassuringly and walked up to the great big doors. She pulled the handle and the door did not budge and so she pulled out a dagger and wedged it between the doors. The doors moved slightly but not enough to enter. Nutchit seeing that his Queen needed help immediately went over and forced his tiny sword into the crack and pushed with all his might. Eventually the doors opened and Lucy and Nutchit entered.

"Wait for me." Susan cried not wanting to be left alone for one moment of this graveyard of a temple.

They entered and it was completely dark – Susan looked around desperately to Lucy but instead found only darkness.

"I can barely see my paw in front of my eyes." Squeaked Nutchit somewhere to Susan's left.

"Open the door – let in the light." Lucy said somewhere even further to Susan's left.

Susan turned around – arms outstretched in front of her so that she wouldn't bump into anything. Susan headed towards the slight crack of light that the closed door was letting in. After what seemed an eternity Susan reached the door and with great effort pushed the door open.

Light flooded into places it had not touched for many a year and Susan screamed at what the light revealed. Nutchit drew his sword quickly and immediately went to aid his queen against her unseen enemy.

"What is it your majesty. What has hurt you?" Nutchit said bravely standing in front of Susan shielding as much of her body from the danger that he could not see – meaning that he only protected her feet.

"It's a s-s-spider!" Susan shrieked. Indeed the whole temple was littered with spider's webs and dust.

"It looks like this place hasn't been touched for a hundred years." Lucy mused.

Nutchit, securing his oldest queen's safety now returned to Lucy "Possibly it hasn't your majesty." He said while cleaning his sword of spider blood.

Lucy walked around and on reaching the far end off the temple she shouted in glee "Aslan!" She rushed over to a statue of him and as quickly as she could brushed away all the cobwebs and dust which had settled on him. The statue, to Lucy, looked as if all that was good and kindness in the world was suddenly put into his eyes. She smiled and laughed.

"He looks so brave and splendid." Nutchit whispered in awe

"Oh, but this is only a statue of him – in reality he is far braver and far more splendid in reality. If only you could meet him." Lucy sighed, she missed Aslan greatly.

"That is my heart's greatest desire Queen Lucy, to look upon Aslan's face."

Underneath his statue lay a great chest which Lucy after brushing the dust off it opened it and gasped in joy.

"Susan, come quickly." She shouted.

But Susan couldn't move. She was transfixed by those eyes. His eyes. Aslan's eyes. No she couldn't say that word. He didn't exist. He doesn't exist. Susan repeated to herself in her mind. He looked so angry, so terrible, and so vicious. Susan had to remind herself that he was not real before she continued towards her sister. She could not look at him. She could not accept him. Had she deserted him? No she thought to herself – of course she hadn't. Dismissing her thoughts she crept silently over to Lucy and looked into the chest.

"My bow and arrow, and my horn." Susan said picking them all up and hugging them to her chest. Was this all a game that she played when she was younger? Was this a coma? Or was this real?

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><p>Oh and after all of that my usual plea of Please Review.<p> 


	7. Intruder, Victim, Traitor

New Chapter up and running. So very sorry that my updates are so far apart but well I am very busy at the moment. Anyway home you enjoy.

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><p>Chapter 7 – Intruder, Victim, Traitor<p>

Edmund

Out of all his siblings he was the one who had been given a talking horse and a guard. This guard just happened to be Leuad, the white wolf who had captured them – or found them, depending on your point of view, and brought them to Cair Paravel. Acontia sat to his right on her horse who was quietly trotting along next to his own chatty chestnut stallion.

"... and so, my king, that is how my father out ran a cheetah in a bet. It was quite a feat and I am proud to say that I have inherited his long, muscled legs. However I have inherited my mother's coat because my father..."

"Enough of 'my father', 'my mother', 'my grandfather' nonsense. Be quiet – nobody is listening to your speech. We don't care that your father outrun a cheetah once in his life. Just shut up, will you Firth." Said Leuad who had had quite enough of all Firth's talk.

For once silence was around them. They could hear the bird's singing, the wind blowing and the soft panting of Leuad. How beautiful Narnia was. Edmund was so glad he was back, overjoyed was the word. Acontia, he glimpsed, also seemed to be enjoying the silence. Her head was held high and she sat straight on Waen. She was so secretive. Edmund barely knew a thing about her, so he built up the courage to ask her a question.

"Why can you only speak to me? Why couldn't you speak to the others?" Edmund said in his kingly fashion.

She shrugged her shoulders in reply telling him nothing.

"You know that I have met two stars before. I have met Coriakin and Ramandu – both of whom were very nice people. They were both so eager to help. But you seem to be more reserved – more secretive."

_That was the way I was made and I cannot help it._ She replied

"How do stars come into being – are you born?"

_We are made by the Emperor-over-the-sea. Why are you so inquisitive?_

"Well I thought that seems as we are going to be spending much time together – I might as well get to know you." Acontia replied nothing to this only staring bleakly in front of her, so Edmund tried to approach a different topic. "Why did you come to Narnia?"

_To try and save it._ She said it in a monotone voice – as if she had practiced saying it a thousand times before.

"You have come here very well armed. You carry twin swords, daggers, bow, arrows and quiver and yet the most peculiar thing you carry is a broadsword, a sword that a woman would not use. Whose was it?"

_It was my brother's. _She said once again in her monotone voice.

"Where is he now?" Edmund said, this topic interesting him.

Edmund waited for a reply. He waited seconds which turned into minutes until five minutes had passed and she had not answered. Edmund was persistent.

"Where is he? What happened to him?"

_He died. _She said spurring her horse into a gallop and so Edmund had to spur his on to so as to catch up with her.

"Wait, wait." He shouted after her, she pulled her horse to a sudden stop and turned around to look at him. He could see the tell-tale signs of tears forming. "Look, you're supposed to be guiding me to this camp, not run away from me."

Her mouth clenched. Acontia had been expecting some apology, not a scolding. Edmund, in the golden age had been in charge of Narnia's secret intelligence and he had been a specialist in reading people's emotions by their faces. But even without his skill he could see that she was not pleased with him.

"Look, I'm sorry, ok. I didn't know it was a sensitive topic. I'm sorry."

_We best be moving on. _She said after a while, moving Waen into a steady pace. Edmund drew his horse up to hers, but he was scared of hurting her. Once he had loved to hurt people, he was a bully. He loved to see people suffer but he had changed considerably, he hated people suffering. He couldn't stand it. One great Narnian philosopher had said that Peter was the sword of Narnia, magnificent and strong, showing of his power, and Edmund was the shied, gentler, protector of Narnia, not so magnificent as Peter but necessary none the less. He grimaced at the thought of what had changed him.

She still very much haunted him. In his thoughts, daydreams, nightmares. She would pop up her unwanted head and taunt him. He couldn't even think her name. She had scarred him more than the torture that he had endured in her prison, he had never told his siblings. There was no need. Both physical and mental scars remained, even after over a thousand years. But he was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts, or perhaps intrude would be the best word.

_Don't think of her. You were thinking strongly. Like you can hear what I am saying, I can hear what you are thinking._

"Intruder!" He accused

_You must have suffered greatly. You did not deserve such suffering. None of the stars thought that at the time._

"And how did you know what was happening to me at the time. Nobody knew, except her, except Aslan."

_You forget, Edmund, that I am a star and that the stars are always watching. Night and day we watch. We see through closed doors and curtains, we see through thick walls. We see you when you do not see us. We are always watching. _

"How far is it to the village, Leuad." Edmund said turning his attention away from Acontia.

"We should reach it in two hours, your majesty."

"So before nightfall."

"Yes indeed."

"Good, because I could do with some nice hay to lie on." Firth said.

"Congratulations Firth, you have not spoken for such a long time. I had almost thought someone had eaten your tongue." Leuad said sarcastically.

Two hours did indeed pass and they finally arrived at a small town with friendly fires burning. Leuad left them, saying that he was far more comfortable sleeping in the open, and Edmund agreed saying that a wolf striding around town would not be greeted well by the locals. They found an inn, and Firth and Waen were immediately taken into the stables. On the orders of Edmund they were not speak and were to act as dumb horses. The horses agreed to this with much argument as Edmund wanted them to pass unnoticed, and a talking horse might cause some unwanted gossip around town.

Edmund and Acontia stored into the inn and were greeted by a warm blast of air smelling of fresh bread, herbs and above all good ale. Edmund walked straight up to the bar where the innkeeper was happily serving drinks.

"Good sir, we are looking for accommodation this night. Does your inn offer us any?" Edmund asked politly.

"Of course sir, we have just the room for you and your... um..."

"-sister. My sister." Edmund filled for him.

"You have come just in time for tomorrow the great western market begins and we are booked to the brim. Will you be having dinner with us today?"

"Yes we will."

"Please sit down" The burly barman said leading them to a table.

They sat down and were told the menu of today. Edmund had decided what he was going to have but did not know what Acontia was going to have.

_Do stars eat? _Edmund said in his head hoping somehow that Acontia would hear him and nobody else would. They wanted to pass as ordinary travellers – not a King and a star.

_No. But I will eat to avoid suspicion. I will have the same as you, brother. _Acontia replied saying the last word mockingly.

_Well what was I supposed to say – that you are my wife. Then we would have had to share a bed, or is that what you would have preferred. _Edmund said not looking at her, scared that he would suddenly turn all red at such an idea.

_No of course not. _Acontia replied blushing profusely.

Luckily for both of them, the odd discussion was ended by the innkeeper's daughter carrying two pints of frothing ale to them. Placing them down in front of them she smiled at Edmund and not even looking Acontia's way said

"Good sir, you have just been served Narnia's finest ale." She winked at him flirtatiously. "Why come you here?"

"Well, my sister and I are visiting our uncle who lives but slightly west of here, and upon hearing that your ale and cooking are so fine we decided that we would stop here for the night."

"Oh, if you don't mind be being so bold. May I ask if you are married good sir?" She said moving ever closer to him.

Edmund laughed this off but replied that he was not.

"Why, what a shame. Such a handsome man as you should have all the women doting on him, surely." She said rolling her tongue in what she considered an alluring way. Luckily for Edmund she then left him in peace and went off to serve other customers.

_Looks like you've got yourself an admirer. _Acontia teased

_Oh stop it. I can't help if I'm so handsome. _Edmund replied giving her a cocky smile.

_Any stranger looking at us now would see you grinning strangely at someone who had uttered not a word. _As soon as Edmund realised his position he stopped grinning and returned his unattended mug of ale – which was indeed very good.

Soon their meal was served and the innkeeper's daughter when she served Edmund meal served it in such a way as that her breasts was most visible to him. Even when his meal was served she remained leaning over the table so that her breasts were pretty much in his face. He tried to look away but he had to politely look back at her when she spoke to him.

"I hope you enjoy the food."

"Thank you." Edmund replied, trying to look in any direction but those looming breasts.

"How many nights are you staying here?"

"Only this one."

"Oh, what a shame. Our little town is quite nice. You should get to know it better, and you get to know its women better." She said, whispering the last part so that nobody else could hear.

"Thank you, but we really will have to leave tomorrow." She kept looking at him and it seemed to him that her breasts grew ever closer. "Um, don't you have other customers to attend to?" Edmund said trying to make her go away.

"Of course." She said smiling at him flirtatiously. Acontia smiled at Edmund in amusement as he gave more focus than was needed on his food.

_Nice food you've got there. _Acontia commented on his very grey mushroom soup.

_Well they sold it as mushroom soup but it really is Fungus that grows from dung mixed with a watery base._

_Now doesn't that sound yummy!_

_Indeed. _

When they were finished, the innkeepers daughter came to clear away and as Edmund was leaving she whispered into his ear.

"If you grow cold and lonely at night, remember that my bed is always open to you."

"Thank you – but I am very tired and will need no entertainment at night." Edmund said leaving her to clean up.

_What did she say to you? _

_She wanted me to sleep with her._

_Why didn't you accept? Most men would, she wasn't bad looking either and imagine the gossip. 'King Edmund slept with a simple innkeeper's daughter'. Wow that would go down well. _

Edmund stood there shocked for a moment before he gathered his wits about him _I have higher standards. _He finally said, trying to shake off this awkward conversation with a joke.

Almost as soon as they were in the room Edmund fell onto his bed and slept and when it was morning Edmund woke up and saw Acontia sitting in an armchair looking out of the window fully dressed and immaculate as ever.

"What time is it?"

_Two hours after sunrise._

"Did you sleep well?"

_Stars don't need to sleep. We are ever watching. _

"Oh." Edmund said giving up on any conversation.

The two of them dressed went down to breakfast ate quickly and were both eager to get on with their journey. The innkeeper bustled over to them asking them whether their stay had been satisfactory.

"Indeed we both enjoyed it very much here, the ale was especially good."

"Well I am pleased. If you want I could give you some more for your journey."

"Yes, please. We could take it to our uncle."

"You are going to visit our uncle? Where does he live?"

"Oh, not far west of here. We plan to take our route through Koshmaar and then go slightly south."

The innkeeper looked at them in shock. "You cannot go through Koshmaar."

"Why ever not?" Edmund asked quizzically.

"Because it's called" Here the innkeeper looked around making sure nobody else was listening. "The field of nightmares."

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><p>Dun dun dun. Anyway next chapter will be Edmund as well, cos I found that his story is far more complex. Anyway. Thanks for reading.<p> 


	8. The Field of Nightmares

Really sorry it took so long to update but anywhere here you all are.

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><p>Chapter 8 – The Field of Nightmares<p>

Edmund

The innkeeper's wife came striding along and seeing her husband's expression of pure horror she asked what had happened.

"They want to go through The Field of Nightmares." The innkeeper stated simply.

"They want to what? You can't, please don't." She said turning to Edmund and Acontia. "It's not safe."

"Why is it not safe?" Edmund asked. He had never heard of this Field of Nightmares before and he had travelled Narnia far and wide.

"Nobody has come out of there alive." The innkeeper whispered and his wife nodded in agreement.

"It's not safe." She added.

"We are in quite a hurry. Is there no other way?" Edmund asked

"If you go north for fifty miles then there is a safe passage."

"We would lose a whole day of riding we cannot afford to lose so much time." Edmund replied.

"Then stay here, please sir. You could work here – we would find you work. There is much to do with merchandise round this area. Please stay here sir."

"We must go west. It is of great importance."

"You are only going to visit your uncle. Send him a letter that you can't come, I'm sure he will understand."

"Why is this Field of nightmares so bad anyway?"

"You see things – you see your worst nightmares."

"I have already experienced that." Edmund said to himself remembering Dark Island.

Edmund had grown annoyed with their persistence, ignored their cries and walked over to the stables Acontia following him. He untied their horses and led them out of the stables. However the innkeeper's daughter having heard what was going on rushed into the stable.

"Please sir. You have been so kind to us, don't go. Please stay here. You can set up a good life. Everything will be ok. Just don't go west."

"We thank you for your kindness but we must be off."

The innkeeper's daughter gave up and handed him a cask.

"You said you wanted some beer." She gave a sad smile.

"Thank you." Edmund said taking the cask and pressing a coin into her hand "It will be much appreciated on the journey"

She smiled at him, not the flirtatious smile of yesterday but a sad smile of when you know something bad but can't tell it. A smile of pity, a sad smile. Edmund looked at her one last time and then Firth galloped off, Waen following him.

Just outside the village they met Leuad and led by him began cantering away from the rising sun. After half an hour a mist gathered and soon they could barely see each other.

"I wonder if we are at Koshmaar yet." Edmund said.

"Oh not yet, sir, not yet." Leuad replied.

Suddenly out of the mist came a great stone archway. It was a door – a door in the middle of nowhere. Behind the archway the mist had gathered to be so thick that they would never find a way through it. Edmund was unsure what to do.

_Those who pass through here, cannot pass out. Those who pass through cannot see light. Those who pass through here can only see hate. _

"What did you say?" Edmund turned to Acontia

_It is inscribed on the door. _

Edmund drew closer to the door and indeed saw that strange letters were inscribed on it. It was not a language that he recognised.

_The writing is that of Charn. _

Edmund looked at her in horror. He could face minotaurs, hags, sea monsters, he could face anything but her. "What do we do?" He whispered

_We go in or around. Around we lose a day of riding. Also the way is rocky and we will tire out the horses._

"Your majesty,I don't like this place." Leuad said hiding his tale between his legs.

"I can't help but agree." Firth added.

"The only way to avoid it is to go many miles around." Waen said. It must have been the first time she had spoken. "I would not choose that route; we would lose too much time." Having said what she wanted to say Waen trotted through the archway – seemingly unafraid.

"Wait." Firth called after her. "Damn it. Now I have to go and save her." Firth also trotted through the archway with Edmund on his back. Leuad not being able to stand being alone ran to catch up.

When they were through the archway the mist covered them and Edmund looking back saw nothing – the archway had gone. He gulped, there was no turning back.

_Acontia where are you? _Edmund shouted in his mind.

_I'm just in front of you. Just two paces on front. _

_Good, the worst thing we could do now would be to split up._ Edmund said nudging Firth on so that he would be closer to Waen. He looked down and just saw Leuad ears poking through the mist next to him.

They rode on for what seemed hours and Edmund would occasionally check that everybody else was there. He could not loose anyone.

_Acontia, where is the way out? You led me into this, you better lead me out. _

"There is no way out, my prince. Your little sweetheart has deserted you."

Edmund froze. He knew that voice too well. Was this why it was called The Field of Nightmares – because your nightmares came true? He could not face her, but he must. He must be brave. Think of Aslan. He looked down hoping that Firth would comfort him slightly. But he was riding Firth no longer. Firth was not there, nor was Leuad. What had happened?

"You're dead. You don't exist. Aslan killed you." Edmund told the White Witch

"Oh really, I think I am very much alive to you."

"Go away." Edmund said drawing his sword.

"You can't kill me Edmund. I'm not afraid of you or that sword. But aren't I dead. The dead can't die again, my sweet little prince. Didn't you listen in lessons?"

"Go away." Edmund repeated.

"Why? It is quite fun haunting you. Don't I just love watching you when you are having nightmares? 'Don't kill me – please don't kill me' 'Stop, don't hurt him. Please'. Oh yes you talk in your sleep."

"Go away, Jadis. What do you want?"

"I want you, in the same way that you want me. Deep in your heart – you don't want to play second fiddle any longer to Peter or Caspian, do you my prince?"

"And I don't want to play second fiddle to you either."

"Oh now, don't say such nasty things. That horrible little girl has left you – there is no way out. If you bring me back to life – I can lead you out. If you don't well, I haunt you until you die and then once you die I can still haunt. That sounds like fun."

Edmund was terrified. If she told the truth then there was no way out. But since when had Jadis told the truth.

"You're lying. Acontia will come back for me. I don't need you. I don't want you. Be gone Jadis."

She broke into a fit of laughter which sent shivers down Edmund's back.

"You think that you can send me away. Just give me some of your blood, Amam's blood, and I will not haunt you any longer and I can also heal those nasty little scars on your back."

"You lie. Aslan couldn't heal them, you can't."

But Edmund could no longer control what he was doing, suddenly he felt his hand being drawn towards her against his will. He couldn't stop it.

"Aslan, Acontia." He cried, anybody help him.

Just as his hand was about to touch Jadis suddenly Acontia came riding out of the mist. Edmund could not believe his eyes. He was so glad. Her black hair was blowing in the speed of Waen galloping and her blue eyes were burning with hatred. She looked so beautiful. He had never been so glad to see someone in his life. She rode in-between Edmund and Jadis and drew her sword.

"Be gone to the abyss from whence you came, Jadis." She said, spitting her name. Edmund was confused. Acontia had spoken. How? Why?

"You think it is that easy to banish me." Jadis laughed, laughed and wouldn't stop laughing and before their very eyes her form began to change and to mutate until before them was standing a man. The man's skin was pale, his hair dark and his eyes the same royal blue as Acontia's.

Acontia gasped. "No, this isn't possible."

"Why? Why did you do it?"

"Why did I do what?"

"Why did you betray me? Why did you kill me?"

"I didn't kill you. I didn't. I promise I didn't. I never wanted that to happen, I never wanted it." Acontia seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"I trusted you. I loved you, I thought you loved me."The man whispered.

"I loved you, I still love you and I always will love you. Please I didn't mean to do what I did."

"Why did you tell Sorugyn? You knew it was forbidden." The man was now shouting at her.

"I didn't know. I didn't know."

"You didn't know what?" His voice was now taunting.

"I don't know, I don't know." Acontia buried her head in my hands. "Can't you forgive me? Forgive me."

"No! How can I?"

"You are not Iliad. Iliad would forgive me."

"Iliad would want you to join him. I died – now it is your turn. You know how to. Stab yourself, go on do it."

Acontia unsheathed one of her daggers and was about to stab it into her stomach when Edmund quickly gathered his wits about him and drawing his sword charging at the man who was taunting Acontia. The figure disappeared into the mist and the mist seemed to grow less thick until they could see the field quite clearly. Edmund took out the ale that he had been given and took a long draft of it to calm his nerves. He offered some to Acontia but she was just staring at the space where the man had stood.

"Why did he call you traitor? Acontia?"

Acontia looked at him tears falling quite freely down her cheeks.

"Who was he?" Edmund said again.

"What business is it of yours? What right do you have to know who he was? Why should you care? What does it matter to you? I just saved your life – if Jadis had come back she would have killed you, and you don't even thank me." Acontia shouted at him. She viciously kicked Waen into a gallop and rode of in the direction in which two figures were standing. Edmund presumed this figures were Firth and Leuad.

However she did not go far when suddenly she fell off Waen. Edmund quickly ran over – she must have hurt herself. When he reached she was lying in a ball sobbing, crying, tears falling down her face. He could not see them as her mass of hair was covering her face but he could hear her uneven breathing and those deep painful sobs.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." Edmund said kneeling down next to her. He wasn't sure what to do? Should he just leave her to sort herself out or gather her in his arms and comfort her like he would comfort a child. In the end he just put a comforting hand on her shaking shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, your highness, I'm so sorry." She said through tears.

"What are you sorry for, and please just call me Edmund."

"I'm sorry I shouted at you. I'm sorry I've been so secretive." She gathered herself and sat back on her knees. "Back in the mist that was my brother. He was called Iliad. He was a great ..."

"Shush, there is no need to tell me about him now and anyway being shouted at puts us monarchs in our proper place, so you are free to shout at me whenever you want."Acontia smiled at this, silently thanking him for not making her tell him why she had been called a traitor.

"There that made you smile. You are so beautiful when you smile. You should smile more often."

"Thank you Edmund."

"I'm glad that you've got your voice. Can I ask you why it came back?"

"I don't know." She replied "I simply don't know. There are so many strange things in this world, which remain unanswered." She smiled at him.

"We should be moving on." Edmund said as they began to walk over to the others.

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><p>My ranting rave - but anyway please review, tell me what you think.<p> 


	9. Patience

Thank you all for your Patience (get it, its the chapter title, anyway that was a really lame joke). But yeah Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review.

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><p>Chapter 9 - Patience<p>

Peter

He was finally leaving. He was leaving Cair Paravel, like he had so many times before in the Golden Age. But even though Caspian had built Cair Paravel to the exact plans of what it once was there was something different about it. Something Peter couldn't explain. It lacked life.

He remembered the good old days, when there were servants bustling around and you could hardly walk a step without some old faun adjusting their glasses to see if they were really seeing the high king, or falling over some stray puppy. Now, when he had stayed at Cair Paravel this time, you could walk all around it and find nobody. You could enter the kitchens and find no cooks preparing a banquet, well you would find no cooks at all.

Peter hoped that after this war that would be changed. Perhaps not by him, but by somebody else, maybe Ama or Eril. He would make sure that it was full of life before he had to leave. He would no doubt be sent back to England. Sent back to Finchley, London, Earth, Milky Way and so on. So far away from Narnia – from all he loved so dearly.

But now he must concentrate on what was at hand, not lamenting about what might be. They were riding north now until they reached the great north river which flowed through Ettinsmoor and northern Narnia. From there they would kayak their way downstream until they reached the Northernmost point of the river where the ice would be now thawing in the late spring weather, and from there north into Ettinsmoor and the camp.

Ama was riding next to him, her fair hair tied back, practical, very practical. Her clothes once again practical, they could withstand all sorts of weather.

"Why are you staring at me, your grace? Does something not please you?"

"Oh no Ama, I was just wondering, why are you called Ama? It is not a common name in Narnia."

"Ama is short for Amethyst, and I am called Amethyst because of the strange colour of my eyes." She said looking at Peter so that indeed he could admire their deep purple colour. Indeed her eyes were quite unique.

"Why are you called Peter?" She asked.

"I don't know. Where I come from Peter means rock."

"So you are called rock. Why? Because of the colour of your eyes?"

"No. I suppose my parents just like the name, that's all."

"Oh." Ama replied.

After several hours of riding in silence they at last reached a clearing and the Great River of Narnia. Dismounting the horses they unsaddled them and let them free, thanking them for their services. They left the saddles and bridles in a little hut next to river. In this little hut there were also two kayaks.

"Will you carry our provisions while I take the kayaks down to the river?" Peter asked

"Of course, your highness."

"Look here Ama, let's drop the pleasantries, let's drop the politeness. Back from where I come from – the other world."

"Spare Oom. I have heard of it."

"Back where I was born I am but a simpleton living in the capital, I am a student. I have no say in politics or royalty. People do not look up to me, I am nobody."

"Surely that cannot be true. But even if you are not great in Spare Oom you are still a King here,a Narnian King my king."

Peter looked at her and smiled, thinking that he had gained a loyal subject and a loyal friend, the latter being more rare. Picking up both kayaks he took them down to river and laid them down by the river bed.

"You're strong Peter. I have problems lifting one kayak, let alone two."

Peter laughed "Well I am a man."

"So you are saying that men are stronger."

"Well generally they are aren't they?"

"I suppose, but it is rather patronising making that statement, don't you think."

"I never thought it to be but I apologise if I have caused you any harm." Peter said

"Well I forgive you."

They loaded the kayaks with their provisions and pushed off. Rowing downstream they made swift progress, and by the evening they had already travelled a formidable distance. As the sun began to set it began to grow very cold and Peter drew his cloak even closer around his body.

"Shall we stop for the day, Peter?" Ama shouted from her kayak.

"I think so." Peter replied pulling his kayak over to the side of the river and dragged it out of the water.

They unpacked and Peter started a fire and brought out the map so that they could see their progress.

"We are here and we need to get here. How long do you think it will take Ama?"

"A week at the most. I used to travel this way often with my mother, her ancient family home was near the camp."

"What happened to her?"

"One day she was travelling with me back from her family home to the Cair when we were attacked by a group of bears. We were attacked suddenly and without warning. My mother could take the form of a stork but instead of flying off, she protected me as I had not yet developed my other form. She managed to kill all but one of the bears and the one that was left mauled her to death as she killed it with her sword. I was but eight at the time." Ama looked straight into space, sadness was in the air but Ama did not shed a tear.

"I'm sorry for you. What would have driven a group of dumb beasts to do that?"

"Oh no, they weren't dumb. They were servants of Sorugyn. Sorugyn did not trust my mother as she had too many political views for a woman, and so she suffered the penalty of death."

"I'm so sorry, you were so young, you should not have seen death."

"It was my fate, it cannot be..." Ama was cut off by an arrow landing brushing her arm. Both of them stood up immediately brandishing their weapons.

"Who goes there?" Peter shouted into the wood.

Silence. Peter stepped forwards slightly until he was right under a great oak tree. He leaned against the bark, and slowly moved around the tree looking where the attacker had come from. But before he could get all the way around the tree trunk a man jumped down from the tree right in front of Peter. Peter quickly killed him with his sword and he looked back at Ama who was aiming her bow at another man in the tree. Her arrow hit true and the man fell dead to the floor.

Peter rushed back to Ama and stood next to her looking for any more attackers. Again there was nothing but silence and Ama turned back to the fire and as soon as her back was turned an arrow flew straight at her. Peter heard the rush of the arrow and with his quick reflexes broke the arrow with one quick movement of his sword.

Ama turned around having heard the clash of arrow and sword. Spying the attacker she shot him in the leg and he fell down from the great oak tree. Peter rushed over to him and drew a dagger to his neck holding the man's hands firmly behind his back.

"Who are you? Who do you work for?"

"Oh sir, please don't hurt. I never meant no harm, I have a wife and children."

"Answer my questions and you won't be harmed." Peter replied Ama right by his side.

"I don't know, this man just came into town, he offered money, my family is poor."

"What were his instructions?" Peter growled.

"To try and capture you or find out your plan and kill you."

"Why did you want our plan?"

"I don't know, the leader knows everything."

"Who is this leader?"

"I don't know." The man squirmed as Peter twisted his hands.

"How did they know we were coming this way?"

"I don't know sir, please sir will you let me have a drink to calm my nerves."

Ama handed him one of their water carriers but her refused.

"I need some ale to calm my nerves. I have a little in my pocket, would you pass me some."

Ama put her hand into his pocket and found a small water carrier which she pored into his mouth as Peter was holding his hands quite firmly.

"Why did you attack us?" Peter asked him again but the man only laughed.

"What is so funny?" Ama asked him annoyed.

But the man never spoke again as he fell dead to the floor. Ama sniffed the bottle.

"Poison." She confirmed.

"Confound it." Peter replied "No doubt they were sent by Sorugyn, he must have caught wind of our plan."

"But how? When we were discussing it at the Cair it was only us, nobody was listening surely."

"Acontia?"

"She was always watched by our spies – she wouldn't have time to send back any information."

"We must be on our guard. Hopefully there was only the three of them as we were discussing our plan and where the camp was. I hope it wasn't Acontia because I can't think what would happene to Edmund. I hope he's okay."

"We can but hope, he's a good swordsman anyway."

"We will have to be more careful in future. Ama? Are you hurt?" Ama looked down and saw a cut on her arm.

"It's only a cut it will heel."

"Please let me." Peter dug out a bandage from his supplies and rolled it around Ama's cut after he had inspected it.

"It was a deep cut but clean. Luckily they didn't put poison on their arrows."

"Thank you Peter. I didn't know that you were a doctor as well as a great king."

"Well I'm full of surprises." Peter said smiling."Back from the land of Spare Oom I am training to become a doctor."

"How nice."

"Indeed. It is very enjoyable."

"Thank you for bandaging my wound."

"You're welcome."

"But now I think that I'm going to do some fishing." And Ama suddenly turned into a heron and walked over to the river.

Peter watched how she stood in the water for such a long time not moving a limb for what seemed hours until finely she shot her beak into the water and came out with a fish. Flinging it over in Peter's direction she continued her little ritual. Peter fried the fish above the fire and when he had fried all of Ama's catch he called her over and they ate.

"You're a fine fisher." Pete said

"Thanks. I wouldn't be much of a heron if I didn't."

"Do shape shifters choose their form?"

Ama pondered "To an extent. Both parents have to be shape-shifters and each parent comes from an ancient family. Originally there were six, one for each animal kingdom. Both my parents are from the Bird family or Avis as is our surname. You have to choose an animal from your parents' animal kingdom. Do you understand?"

"Pretty much. So you had to choose to be a bird?"

"Yes."

"Why a heron?"

"After my mother died, I was very upset and I wanted my father to avenge her. But my father said that we must be patient and wait for the opportune moment. I was angry with him that he did not act at once but in time I began to realise that it was best to wait and to be patient. I now admire patience and as the heron is the symbol of patience I choose the heron."

"Why is the heron the symbol of patience?"

"Didn't you see me fishing. Didn't you see how I waited for the fish to come to me?"

"Yes I see."

"By Patience."


	10. Sandstorm

Once again, very sorry for the long wait - but I hope its worth it. Well here ya go.

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><p>Chapter 10 - Sandstorm<p>

Susan and Lucy

They had reached the desert. They had finally reached the desert, and by Aslan's mane it was hot. It was barely midday and they couldn't stop from sweating, the sweat was literally dripping off them – quite literally.

"Well that's the desert." Nutchit said from Lucy's shoulder. He didn't seem to be having half the problems as they did with the heat.

"Nutchit, how are you still so energetic, I swear I could melt in this heat." Lucy said.

"You forget, your majesty, that I was raised in the desert and I know it like the back of my paw. That is why Eril chose me to be your guide."

"I wish I was you." Susan said, panting in the heat. "We must stink."

"No your majesty," Nutchit said "I for one cannot smell you as the stench of sweating horse is quite over powering."

"Nutchit, I would just thank your luck that these are horses are but dumb beasts. If they were not I am sure that they would have trampled you to death by now, you are constantly criticising them." Lucy told him gravely

"Well, when there is nothing to criticise about them, I swear I will not criticise them."

"Well Lu, it won't do us much good just staring at the desert, we better get a move on." Susan said, wanting to just get this journey over and done with.

"I couldn't agree more, the quicker we get out of this heat the better."

They kicked the horses into a canter but the horses soon insisted that they could go no faster than a slow walk. At midday the heat was quite unbearable and so they stopped and raised a tent to rest in. Susan took out of her pack a cigarette and lighted it. After several minutes of her smoking in the small space of the tent Nutchit began to cough so vigorously that Lucy had to pat him on the back quite hard to get him to stop.

"Why I almost thought I was going to cough up my lungs there." Nutchit said between coughs "Can you smell that horrible smoke?"

"That smoke is coming from Susan." Lucy said quite amused as when she had told Susan how much smoking actually stank she had never believed her, but now she had somebody else to prove her point.

"What? Is her highness on fire?" Nutchit said suddenly alarmed.

"No, no. You see that thing that she has in her mouth; the smoke is coming from there." Lucy said, Susan was all the while ignoring them and pondering the fact that she only had ten cigarettes left. Nutchit interested in whether this awful smell was coming from the thing in Susan's mouth drew closer and sniffed. Once again he was consumed by a coughing fit and Lucy had to hit him quite hard on the back.

"Wow, that smells positively awful."

"I couldn't agree more." Lucy said turning to Susan "See I'm not the only person who thinks it stinks."

Susan was suddenly looking at Lucy in confusion, having not been listening to their conversation she had no idea what they were talking about.

"What stinks?"

"Cigarettes." Lucy said pleased with herself.

"Oh course they don't. Who put that silly idea into your head?" Susan replied, angry that this old argument had come up again.

"Well it was just that Nutchit was saying that it stank, so I thought I should tell you that I have a supporter in this argument."

"Well if it stank, why can't I smell it?"

"I don't know. I can smell it, Edmund can smell it, Peter can smell it, Nutchit can smell it. I don't know why you can't smell it."

'Maybe it's like Narnia.' Lucy thought to herself 'She just doesn't want to smell it.'

"Well I think the sun is less piercing so we should carry on." Nutchit said changing the subject.

The girls agreed and once again mounted their horses and spurred them on. The heat was more bearable but in their dresses Susan and Lucy were finding it hard to breathe. Lucy finally fed up with her clothes, dismounted and began to undress.

"Lucy what are you doing?" Susan said shocked by her sister's rash decision.

"What does it look like I'm doing? It boiling hot and in this velvet I swear I am going to die." Lucy had undressed until she was standing in nothing but her undergarments. Susan didn't know what to say.

"But you're a Queen!" Susan whispered in shock.

"Exactly – a queen should not have to put up with this unbearable heat. Copy me Susan, you won't regret it I promise."

Before Susan realised what she was doing she was off her horse and Lucy was unlacing her dress, Lucy pulled the dress over her head for her and then Susan like Lucy was also standing in nothing but her undergarments.

"Isn't it cooler?" Lucy asked.

"Yes." Susan said unable to lie and glad that she was finally rid of that layer. She almost wished that she could take off her undergarments, but knew that being a queen this really would be going too far.

They remounted their horses and were much better without that layer. However they were still covered in sweat, not so much their own any more but the horses.

"I swear if we collected all the sweat that the horses are producing we would make a fine oasis out of it." Nutchit said.

The girls nodded in agreement but were too tired by the heat to take much notice of what he was saying.

"Can we not stop now, Nutchit? I'm tired, the horses are tired." Lucy wailed

"Just a little further, your highness and we will be by a well." Nutchit replied

"Water, I had almost forgotten its existence."

"If I may say so, you drank too much water in the morning. We will have to make sure that you don't drink so much. We will have to ration it."

"What? Ration the water. I thought we came well prepared."

"I didn't realise that you humans drank so much."

"Thank God, the sun is setting." Susan cried. Indeed it was but it was setting very fast, so that in a few minutes it was almost gone.

Once the sun had gone a wind picked up flinging the stinging sand at them. The wind was cold and Susan and Lucy put their dresses back on for warmth.

"I didn't realise the deserts were so cold at night."

"Well your majesties they are, but I advise we come to a halt now."

The girls pulled the horses to a stop and set up the tent. They had not reached the well; they were still an hour's walk away. In the tent they all huddled together for warmth as the thin canopy did little to stop the ravishing winds blowing through. They rose several hours before sunrise and set off before the sun decided to burn them again. They reached the well and filled up their water bottles again and let the horses have their fill as well.

Unfortunately for them the sun was soon up as well and decided to plague them with its blinding heat. Once again Lucy and Susan undressed, and decided to dismount their horses deciding that the beasts need a rest from carrying such heavy loads.

"I'm dying to have a cigarette now, no matter what you think." Susan stated rummaging in her bag for one.

She pulled one out and light it with a match, she breathed in the smoke and then skilfully puffed it out through her nose in a most un-lady-like manner. Nutchit laughed at this skill.

"You could be a dragon your highness." Susan laughed, Narnia wasn't so bad she thought. She looked around. Yes, maybe the desert was bit was horrible but that wasn't Narnia was it, that was Calormene. She breathed in the fresh air. It was hot, but fresh none the less. She scanned the horizon and looked up into the sky. Not a cloud.

But there was something on the horizon. A small speck, it looked like a speck of dust. God knows what it was, possibly some old building or something. Lucy had seen it too, but her mind was far more inquisitive.

"What is that Nutchit?" She asked.

Nutchit turned to look around. He put his paw above his eyes, squinted them and looked at what was on the horizon.

"Possibly nothing. But I will keep an eye on it. It could be a sandstorm."

And indeed a wind did pick up and Nutchit turned round to look at the ever increasing speck on the horizon.

"It's a sandstorm!" he shouted "Run!"

Lucy and Susan kicked the horses into a gallop, and Nutchit clung on the Lucy's shoulder for dear life. Susan threw away her cigarette and let it burn in the burning sands. She glimpsed behind her shoulder and saw that it was almost no use in running. The sandstorm was fast, too fast, faster than them.

"There's no point in running." Susan shouted from her horse.

"I can't hear you." Lucy shouted back, as the wind had really picked up and was blowing their hair into great big tangles

"I said the sandstorm is faster than us."

"What do you think we should do?" Lucy shouted back.

"I don't know, hide."

"Where? This desert is totally flat. Running is our only hope."

Susan wished she had some magical power to stop this sandstorm. She wondered what the sandstorm would do to her. Would it bury her under piles of sand, until she would wake up alone and trapped. Buried alive.

No she must run, she must not lose hope, she thought to herself. Similar thoughts were going through Lucy's head, except hers were slightly more valiant. She thought that she could not let Peter and Edmund down, she must find the troops. She could not let them down.

Lucy looked behind her and saw that the sand storm was upon them and suddenly she felt the hard sand hitting her so forcefully that she fell off her horse. She clutched Nutchit with all desperation and shoved him in her clothes so that he would not choke on the sand.

Lucy tried with all desperation to rip a piece of her clothing and tie it around her mouth so that she wouldn't swallow any sand. She tried to rip the cloth but it was too well made. She tried again and again, but with each breath more sand filled her lungs. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe! Somebody help me! Somebody! She screamed in her mind, not daring to open her mouth for fear of more sand entering it.

"Aslan!" She cried, sand filling her mouth. Now she really couldn't breathe. Everything went fuzzy, she tried to breathe through her nose, but it was blocked with sand. She tried to breathe, but she breathed no air, only sand, fine, hard grains of sand.

Suddenly everything went black. There was no light anymore, no sun, no piercing sun. Lucy was almost thankful for that. But it was all too dark. She didn't like the dark. After all her name did mean light. She was the light. At the thought of light, light appeared. It was distant, like a lone star on a cloudy night. But it was there.

Lucy tried to go towards and as she grew closer she saw that Aslan was this light. She ran up to him but however far she ran he remained the same distance away from him.

"Aslan." She shouted "Save me. Help me. I need to get out of this darkness."

"I will help you. But this time it is you who will need to help me. Look east. Look unto the very end. Look for me. Save me Lucy. Save me." Aslan said sadness in his voice, slowly Aslan began to fade and everything grew light again.

"Aslan!" Lucy cried "Aslan."


	11. Falling Angels

Again, I am very sorry for the long wait, may find that this is a kind of biring chapter, very little action and lots of mushy buts (i'm terrible at writing fluffy stuff - plus it's not _that _fluff), well see for yourself.

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><p>Chapter 11 – Falling Angels<p>

Edmund

He had not forgotten the incident of yesterday, not yet. He had not forgotten that look in Jadis' eye nor the way that she had almost won. But she was right, she would always haunt him. He could never forget her. But that was his fate. That was what he deserved for being a traitor.

Acontia was still fragile from yesterday's encounter. She could now speak, but Edmund, at some points was not so sure because she spoke so rarely and most of the time just stared into space, not noticing the passing scenery.

From now on Leuad had told him, the landscape would get very rocky and there would be many high cliffs of which he knew no way down. However Edmund trusted Acontia that she knew a way down, she had said that she did and he wasn't going to start and argument.

"Oh my!" Firth suddenly said, jolting Edmund out of his thoughts "Isn't this place just wonderful."

Edmund suddenly looked around at saw a beautiful sight. They were standing at the top of a cliff and before were great forest riddled with cliffs and valleys. With no cloud in the sky Edmund was most glad to be back in Narnia.

"I know where we are." Waen whinnied "We are near Ladmack, where the finest grass in the whole of Narnia grows."

"Do you think Waen? If we are then maybe we can persuade these humans to let us go there." Firth replied.

"Oh yes, please Acontia may we go?" Acontia only smiled at her horse but Edmund was the one who replied.

"How far is it? How much delay will it give us?"

"Well with you humans on our backs, half a day."

"That is too much, how about without us on your backs."

"Two hours."

"Including eating?"

"Of course."

"Well then I give you permission to go."

"Where will we meet you sire?"

"You will meet us there." Acontia replied for him pointed to a clump of trees in a valley to their right.

"In two hours." Edmund added.

The two of them dismounted and the horses ran off in a gallop eager to be free, however Leuad looked uneasy. He trotted over to Edmund and whispered in his ear so that nobody else could hear.

"Your majesty, I am at a loss at what to do. If any harm should come upon those horses, well horses are not particularly good fighters, and as their guard I would feel guilty for it. But I was entrusted by Eril to protect you above all else and especially to keep an eye on that Acontia. Eril did not fully trust her."

"I understand your peril, Leuad." Edmund whispered back "But I will be on my guard, so if Acontia does decide to attack me, she will face some opposition. It would be tragic if we lost those horses, it would delay our travelling."

"A wise decision your highness." Leuad said as he ran off after the horses

"What did you say to him?" Acontia asked.

"He wasn't sure whether to guard me or the horses. He still doesn't trust you."

"Oh." Acontia looked upset. "Do you trust me?"

"I go by the motto 'Innocent until proven guilty' and I have no reason for you yet to be guilty."

"I have been called a traitor." Acontia stated simply.

"And so have I." Edmund winced at this "But does that make me guilty?"

"But you have repaid for your sins."

"And you haven't? Aren't you helping me now? Without you I would not know the way. I don't know what your sins are, but you seem to be repaying them."

"Thank you." She said and unexpectedly threw herself on him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Edmund was confused as no woman before had ever thrown herself around him before, except his sisters. He was unused to the feeling of her warm body against his, all her womanly curves against his manly curves.

This was a hug of friendship and he mustn't get carried away he thought. He put his arms around her and they stood like that for several minutes until Edmund pulled away. He looked her in the eyes. Only now did he realise how beautiful those deep blue eyes were. The seemed to be burning with some distant fire, like two lone stars in the night sky.

Acontia looked into those deep brown eyes and was lost in their kindness. Yes, she had watched his downfall; from the sky she had watched him betray his family when she was but a young star of just over 1000 years old. But she had watched him later justly rule his kingdom with kindness and love. She admired him. She admired his kindness now – how he had not judged her too rashly, how he did not take her to be a spy just because she had come out of the blue. She had no doubts as to why Aslan had crowned him King Edmund the Just.

"Well" Edmund said finally breaking the silence "we should be making a move on if we want to get there in two hours time. Unfortunately we don't have the speed of horses."

"It won't take us two hours to get there." Acontia said

"We need to find a way down those cliffs."

"Or we can just do this." Acontia smiled at him mischievously.

She began to run straight at the edge of the cliff. Edmund for a moment thought she was going to run off the cliff but then immediately dismissed that idea, so he was even more surprised when she spread her arms and jumped off the cliff.

"Acontia!" Edmund shouted as he ran towards the cliff to see where she had gone. When he reached the edge of the cliff he skidded to a halt and looked down. She was quite gently floating towards the distant ground.

"Wow." He muttered to himself. "She can fly."

When she finally reached the ground she called out to him.

"Jump!"

"What? Are you crazy? I can't fly." He replied

"Just jump, it'll be okay."

Edmund wasn't sure what to do. Should he jump or should he not? Should he trust Acontia or not? This could be her plan to make him jump of the cliff at his own accord, so she would have killed him but there would be no evidence. But if she was going to kill him, why hadn't she done it before, she had had hundreds of opportunities. Even if he did die then surely Leuad and Firth would track Acontia and kill her. They would avenge him.

She had not led him astray yet. He had no reason to distrust her. Innocent until proven guilty he thought as he jumped off the cliff. He did not soar down into oblivion. Instead he gently floated down, down and down, floating down seemed to take an hour. Occasionally he would glance down and see Acontia, with her arms raised above her head, controlling his every movement. After what seemed hours Edmund finally reached good solid ground and was relieved that that little episode was over.

"See nothing to be afraid of." Acontia said cheerfully.

"No, but you could have dropped me." Edmund replied

"Why? Why would I want to drop you?"

"I don't know. Because you support Sorugyn and are against our plans." Edmund said jokingly but Acontia didn't seem to take this as a joke and stopped in her tracks looking hurt.

Edmund seeing this immediately added "I only meant it as a joke. Don't you stars ever joke? Surely you don't spend all your time just shining in the sky and flying around."

"I'm sorry Edmund. I never really thanked you properly for saving me that day in the Field of Nightmares."

"Oh that's okay." Edmund replied. He really couldn't keep up with a woman's trail of thought.

"I would have died without you. I owe you my life. You have asked so few questions and I am grateful for that. You know so little about me and I know so much about you."

"Really? How do you know so much about me?"

"I am a star, remember, I am always watching from the sky."

"So all stars are stalkers, you watch people in their private affairs, you watch people fall in love, betray each other. You watch battles; you know exactly what is going on all the time. Wow, that's weird." Edmund finally concluded.

"The only thing I don't know about you is what happened to you in Spare Oom – or England as you refer to it. None of the stars also know what was said between you and Aslan in that conversation before the Battle of Beruna."

"I won't tell you what was said between Aslan and I before the battle of Beruna, because what he said to me, was not, is not and never will be for anybody else's ears. But I can tell you about Spare Oom, or England 'as I refer to it'."

"Tell me about England."

"England is a small, but powerful country in a place called 'Earth'. It has a big empire you see. England is a very boring place, magic doesn't exist there. There are no centaurs, dwarfs or any magical creature for that matter. All animals there are dumb beats."

"Oh how sad. Doesn't anything funny or cheerful happen there?"

"Oh yes, many funny things happen there. For instance, one day, before any of us had ever been to Narnia we all went on a picnic. We drove out of the big city that I live in and we found a nice spot to have a picnic. Now my mum had prepared a delicious plum tart and she gave each of us a slice. Now at this point Susan wasn't so fussed about her looks and waist line, but she still liked clothes and fashion. Susan at that point always needed to see that everybody had the same amount of tart. She had to hold them up so that she could see that everything was fair and equal.

"Once she had finished this quite lengthy job, we were all so delighted because we could finally eat our plum tart, Susan went back to sit down. Having sat down she could not find her plum cake, and none of us could see it either. Only a few minutes afterwards did we realise that she had sat on her plum tart and poor old Susan didn't get any plum tart and she ruined her dress, but we were all laughing. Father didn't want to let her in the car afterwards, because she would make the seats all dirty."

"I could just imagine that." Said Acontia smiling, more out of politeness. She had not found the story at all amusing but she did have a few questions. "But, can I ask you, what is a car?"

"Oh a car is something that humans have created. Humans can sit in it and it goes very fast. It takes them to anywhere they want really."

"What does it eat?"

"Oh it's no alive, but it 'eats' this black liquid called petrol."

"Wow, that's magical, and you said that England wasn't magical."

"Oh it's not magic. Cars are quite horrid things anyway. They smell a lot and make a really annoying sound. A sound like: Broom broom."

Acontia burst out laughing at Edmund's imitation of a car and soon Edmund was laughing too, realising how stupid he must have sounded. Edmund was laughing so hard that he fell over and began to roll over on the grass. Acontia also fell over and so they lay next to each other laughing their heads off.

"Oww, my stomach hurts from all that laughing." Edmund said after he had finished.

"Broom broom." Acontia imitated, creating yet another round of laughter. "Oww, my cheeks hurt now."

"Serves you right." Edmund replied clutching his stomach.

"Edmund." Acontia said propping herself up on one elbow so that she could face Edmund "Do you think a star would enjoy England. Because when a star dies, they go and guard another world."

"You were wondering if your brother would enjoy it there." Edmund said as a statement

"Yes." Acontia admitted.

"We don't have stars in England."

"What?" Acontia said jerking up.

"I mean we do have stars, but they are gaseous balls of fire." Acontia was astonished. "But I think in England we have an equivalent. Can I ask you one quick question?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"You guard the gates of Aslan's country, don't you? You do Aslan's commands."

"Yes, how did you know?"

"In England we have an equivalent. We have something called Angels, and I think that your brother would make a great angel."

"Angel." Acontia said, trying out the word on her tongue "What a pretty word."

"We should be going." Edmund said standing up.

"Thank you Edmund. You have given me hope that my brother will enjoy his new life." She said kissing his cheek.

She ran off spreading her arms and shouting the word 'angel' over and over again. She seemed to be such a child. But weren't both of them children – rolling around in the grass laughing over sound effects. Edmund liked being a child. Edmund touched his cheek where she had kissed him. It felt like his cheek was on fire – but a pleasant fire. It seemed is childhood was over.

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><p>Even if you hought that was the worst thing that anybody had written please review and say that you hate it and never want to read it again(of course I much prefer a reveiw where you say you love the thing, but you get what you get so yeah) please reveiew.<p>

TheEveningStars


	12. Love Makes You Stupid

Chapter 12 – Love Makes You Stupid

Peter

They had not been attacked again that night, but they had still taken precautions so one of them had always been on watch, but to keep the watcher away from loneliness while they were watching Ama and Peter had had a nice warm fire all night and so their wood had all run out. It was Peter's turn to watch now and so in his free time, not drifting too far, meanwhile collected wood. He knew that this would possibly be the last forest where they could get wood. Further north it would be too cold – well maybe except for the occasional pine forest. But pine never made good burning wood anyway, too much smoke and too little heat.

Now there was nothing but freezing cold icy planes ahead of them. Having snow at winter in Narnia was fine but all year round? Definatly no! He could never understand how the people of Ettinsmoor could stand it, the only time the Ettins didn't have snow was in the very peak of summer when some of the snow melted to reveal a horrible brown decaying grass underneath. But luckily Ama and Peter had packed furs and the like for battling the cold but Peter knew that very little could prevent those ravishing, bone chilling winds that roared across the Northern Planes.

He returned back to Ama who was sleeping quite peacefully under the tree, her hair not tied back in her usual practical method but loose and flowing. She looked beautiful, I mean she was always beautiful but somehow in her sleep when she was peaceful, she looked more beautiful. She did not have the stressed look of someone who had to avenge their mother, but having to wait for the opportune moment. She looked free.

He could not help but go up to her and touch that pale skin on her neck. Ama jumped at the touch and her hand instinctively went to the small dagger at her side. Peter knew from experience from Edmund that people are not their most understanding in the morning and jumped back fearing that Ama would slice him open with her dagger. But Ama was fully awake now and took in her safe surroundings and carefully put her dagger back in its sheath.

"Sorry." She muttered sheepishly "I'm not used to being awoken like that."

"Sorry, it was I who startled you really."

"Well, thank goodness you jumped back, otherwise I don't even want to think of what might have happened."

" Don't worry I have had lots of experience with Edmund, and pillows."

"You talk of your brother so fondly." Ama said, surprise quite clear in her voice.

"Oh course I do, I love him dearly." Peter stated offended that she would have thought otherwise.

"But surely after he betrayed you, wasn't it really hard to love him."

"Before Edmund had betrayed me, I had been very horrible to him, always putting him down. When we were children everyone always loved me because I was the eldest and I basked in that love and admiration but I didn't want anybody to share it, especially Edmund. So I would always say nasty things about Edmund always put him down, but I was cunning, disguising these insults so that they could not pick out anything that was directly wrong about him, but that they would slowly begin to prefer me to Edmund.

"I was cunning in this way that almost nobody noticed, not even my own mother, however my father did sense that something was wrong and because of this he gave Edmund even more love and attention. He and Edmund were the closest of close, always sticking up for each other, always together. However my father left for war and Edmund was sent away to an awful school. Everybody failed to notice his declining state. None of us sympathised but I especially always put him down and treated him like a small child. He hated me for that and that's why he betrayed me. It was my own doing really."

"If what you say is true then you must have changed so much since. You are a kind king now. You are everything everyone aspires to be. You are kind, brave, strong, unselfish and handsome." She said, blushing slightly at this comment. "You are High King Peter the Magnificent."

"That's easy for you to say. You're not pulled from world to world at the will of a lion. Back from Spare Oom, as I said, I am nobody. Edmund's in the best university studying law, Susan has all the men at her knees, Lucy has ten dozen friends fawning over her and I'm studying in a university which is nowhere near as good as Edmund's, I don't have the girls at my knees and I am in no way magnificent."

Ama looked at him with pity in her eyes as Peter looked away fiddling with anything so that he did not have to look at her in the eye. Ama took Peter's face in her hands and gently turned him so that he was forced to look at her.

"Peter, you are magnificent." She brought her face closer to him and slowly shut her eyes. Peter did not react as she pressed her lips to his, her small hands still holding his face. Ama felt her heart fluttering as their lips met, but Peter did nothing, still amazed by her rash action. Ama broke away, and stood up turning red at her sudden realisation of what she had done.

"We should be going." She muttered as she swiftly headed towards the kayaks, but Peter sat there for a while taking all that had happened. To put it simply he was confused. He had never been kissed like that before.

Ama however, was by the kayaks hitting herself for doing something that stupid. He was the High King and what was she, the daughter of a man who had just assumed power over the people that were still loyal to Narnia. Peter was charming, kind, brave, strong, had saved her life yesterday, caring and yes he was _very_ handsome. But she shouldn't have done that.

But Ama's thoughts were cut short when suddenly Peter came striding up. Wordlessly he gave her her bow and arrows and pulled the kayaks into the water and paddled swiftly downstream. Ama quickly followed suit.

'He must be angry with me' she thought to herself.

But, in truth, Peter did not trust himself to say anything. He would possibly mutter something stupid then regret for the rest of his life that he had said that. But if he did not say anything then Ama would surely think him rude.

"So where is the next stop?" Peter said, broaching a subject he considered safe.

"The river freezes just north of here, we cannot kayak further so we will have to stop there." Ama said trying to build up enough courage to apologise for her previous actions. "Peter?"

"Yes." Peter replied glimpsing at her before he returned his eyes to the water.

"I would like to apologise for what I did earlier. You must be really angry with me."

"No of course I'm not angry with you. I am glad you did what you did." What had he just said? Peter felt like wanting to capsize his kayak, what a stupid thing to say 'I am glad you did what you did'. Why was he being so stupid?

They both paddled downstream blushing and fidgeting in their stupidity. The landscape changed dramatically and very quickly. All the trees were now pines and the two of them had to pull over to put on thicker coats so that they did not freeze to death. Avoiding ice floes were also great problems, as they came suddenly from seemingly nowhere.

When finally the river was completely frozen and they could go no further they heaved the kayaks out of the freezing water and pulled them over the ice to the side of the river. There was a small cottage not far away and Peter carried the kayaks over to it as Ama led the way, approaching the door she just pushed the door open and told Peter to leave the kayaks there.

"I suppose we carry on from here on foot." Peter asked.

"Unfortunately, yes."

Peter and Ama sat down on the hay took off their shoes and replaced them for large leather fur-lined boots which were so snug and warm when you put your feet inside them. Peter got out their thicker cloaks from the kayaks and gave Ama one. All prepared they set off in the snowy cold wasteland of Ettinsmoor.

Peter remembered when he, over a thousand years ago had led an army against the giants of Ettinsmoor. His army had been trapped in a snowstorm and many of his men had had frostbite and had died in painful ways while he could do little but watch. He winced at the memory of their screams.

"Are you okay?" Ama asked putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. Peter shivered; he was not sure whether it was from the touch or the cold.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He answered "Where are we heading to." Peter said, wanting to change the subject.

"To a bustling town not far from here, but the stop shouldn't be too long. But if I am right, and remember correctly, there is the great cloth market being held there."

"Girls and markets." Peter sighed "I suppose we will have to stop there to have a look."

"Of course." Ama replied giggling foolishly at his remark.

After an hour of trekking through the snow they did reach this town. Peter had never failed to be amazed by the towns in Ettinsmoor with their wide roads for giants and the mixture of tiny houses for dwarves and the like and such a house could neighbour a giant's house which would dwarf even mansions. However Ama had lived much of her life in Ettinsmoor and so this layout was nothing new to her.

Expertly she wove through the streets taking any shortcuts so as to get to the centre of town as quickly as possible. She knew that Peter would want as little time wasted on looking at the market as possible so Ama hurried there as fast as she old manage, wanting to please him. Her mother had always taken her to the market and always bought her something nice as a birthday present. But her mother no longer lived; Ama could still remember her fighting until the end. Her mother did not scream when the bear swung her into a tree, spilling her blood all over the forest floor.

Ama stopped suddenly, the memories forcing her to stand still for a while.

"What's the matter?" Peter asked, wondering why she had stopped.

"It's my birthday in two days time." She said smiling up to Peter through tears. "My mother always used to buy me something in the market for my birthday. My mother died on my birthday." Ama said now bursting fully into tears.

Peter instinctively took her in his arms and stroked her hair. This was the first time he had seen Ama's mask pulled down, revealing the fractured structure underneath. Ama had seemed to be brave, and indeed she was, but memory had overpowered her, won with her feelings. Peter could do nothing but comfort her.

People stopped in the street and stared at the sight of a tall broad man cradling a small weeping woman to his chest. But in the manner of the Ettins they did not interfere with Peter and Ama and both of them were glad for that. Ama quickly recovered herself but did not break away from Peter's warm grasp. It was comforting, pleasant and an utmost heaven to her. But when she finally broke away she said

"Well we should be going; I haven't been to the market for twelve years. I want to see how much it had changed."

Peter was amazed by how quickly Ama had recovered herself. Her emotions changed too quickly for him to follow. He remembered when Susan burst into a crying fit from when one of her suitors had lost interest in her she had cried non-stop for several days. He had been amazed that she had that many tears. But Ama had cried and got it all over and done with. She did not trouble herself too much with the past and he admired her for that.

Now at the market Ama walked slowly around the stalls taking in the sounds of all the merchants shouting and selling their products, the smells of all those fine meats being cooked above great fires, the sight of all those different fabrics, the feel of all those fine materials over her fingers.

"Fine cloak, pure velvet and polar bear fur, only 100 gold crowns. A real bargain ladies and gentlemen. Why you, fine lady, come here and look at this beautiful cloak. Touch it yes, yes, isn't it beautiful." Shouted a small black dwarf at Ama who was pulled in by his kind voice.

The cloak was indeed beautiful, made of red velvet and lined with the softest fur Ama had ever touched, but it was expensive. But she did not need another cloak, the one she had on herself was perfectly reasonable. Peter watched her as she could not decide, he watched the desire in her eyes for the cloak, and he watched her walk away from it.

"Why didn't you buy the cloak?" He asked when they were out of hearing range of the stall.

"I didn't need another cloak." Ama replied

"But you wanted it." Peter stated.

"Yes, I did, but it would just have a been a waste of money, it was expensive after all." Ama said not realising that Peter was no longer with her.

When nobody replied, Ama turned around and saw the empty space where Peter had been. Ama was not one to panic and she quickly scanned the market to see if she could see him. He was standing by the market stall where that expensive cloak had been and he was handing over some money to the dwarf.

"What are you doing?" Ama hissed at Peter when she reached him.

Peter did not reply and carried on with his transaction with the dwarf. When Peter had bought the cloak he handed it to Ama and said

"An early birthday present from me."

"Thank you." Ama said smiling up at him while she snuggled her face into the warm fabric.

"Well now that you have something, I think I have had enough of this market, we should get a move on."

But all that Ama could reply was "Thank you."

This world was so full of wickedness, Sorugyn had plagued Narnia with bitterness and hatred but still kindness could be found, in the most unexpected places. Much later she asked him

"Why did you buy it –it was so expensive."

"For what it was it was not expensive, and I did not waste our money."

"You really did waste our money – we could have bought some food with that money, or some firewood."

"But you didn't refuse the coat, you were very happy when I gave it to you."

"Well, yes, I suppose I was." Ama admitted

"Well then I _wasted _our money on happiness, and I have been told that life is all about happiness, and so to me it was worth buying the cloak, just to see you happy."

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><p>Fluffy, Mushy mushy mushy. Bleh, romance, but was it cute? Me I don't know. It's up to you to tell me what you think.<p> 


	13. A Shack in a Desert

I apologise in advice for the lack of action in this chapter but it is important to the stroy nonetheless and so please bear with me.

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><p>Chapter 13 – A shack in a Desert<p>

Susan and Lucy

Susan's head hurt! Susan's head hurt like hell! What had happened to her? With her eyes still firmly shut Susan put a hand to her head. Ugh! What was that? Oh my god that was her hair, it was such a mess! What had happened to her? How had she gotten in such a mess? The last thing she remembered was sand, lots of it, chocking on it. Suffocating. 'Was this heaven?' she thought.

Squinting her eyes open she did not see blue skies above her like she had expected to see in heaven, instead she saw a badly thatched roof with pieces of straw falling down from it. Had she been captured? Susan sat up too quickly and all the blood rushed to her head and she became incredibly dizzy.

"Wo there" A small voice said "sit up slowly or you'll just faint all over again"

Susan tried to look over to where the voice was coming from but the blood pounding in her head would not allow her to see anything.

"Here drink this, it'll make you feel better." The voice said.

Susan thought that the pitch was a girl's who had not yet reached womanhood. Who was this girl who was taking care of her? But Susan did not ponder with these thoughts for too long as she obediently drank the bitter tasting mixture that was given to her. Immediately her thoughts were cleared and slowly and carefully she took in her surroundings.

Mud walls, first things she noticed, straw roof, second thing and last thing, an improbable amount of light shining through a small door somewhere to her left.

"Is this heaven?" She said out loud.

"No." The voice said, "far from it really."

Susan's eyes slowly adjusted and she turned to speaker. It was a young girl, of no more than ten years old. The girl was by no means beautiful, rather plain, but her eyes seemed to twinkle. Maybe it was the light?

"Who are you?" Susan asked "Where am I?"

"I am Dydeen. Pleased to meet you." The girl said grinning in a most excited manner. "And who are you."

"Um, I'm Susan." She replied not quite sure how to reply to this girl's eagerness. Looking over she saw Lucy lying on a mat on the floor next to her. She was still asleep.

"Nice name, after Queen Susan the Gentle of Narnia – am I correct?"

"Sorry?"

"You're named after Queen Susan"

"Yeah I suppose you could say that." Susan said getting up and seeing if Lucy was alright. Her breathing was even so she was sure that she would wake up in a few minutes ad indeed as predicted Lucy did wake up soon.

"Where am I?" Lucy said in a groggy voice.

"You're in the western part of the Calormene desert, in my house." Dydeen added the last part proudly.

"What a wonderful house." Lucy said. Susan wasn't sure whether Lucy was not awake yet and had not taken in her surroundings or whether she was just being polite, surely she couldn't be telling the truth.

"How did we get here?" Susan said ever practical, but before Dydeen could answer Lucy shrieked

"Where's Nutchit? He was with me."

"Who's Nutchit?" Dydeen asked Susan, as Lucy began to frantically look round for he beloved friend.

"A mouse." Susan whispered back.

"Ohh, I threw him away."

"You did what!" Lucy shrieked overhearing what Dydeen had said.

"Well he was all horrible and he was clinging to you, and I thought he was just a random rat which had clung on to you in frenzy, so I threw him away."

"Where is he?" Lucy said still in shock at the disappearance of her beloved Nutchit.

"Outside, I buried him under a bit of sand." But before Dydeen could say any more Lucy was out of the door looking for her friend.

"How did we get here?" Susan asked, her sister having taken her agitation out with her.

"I always go out after a sand storm to see if there was anybody out who needed help; it was what my aunt always used to do."

"Where is your aunt now, Dydeen?"

"She died last year, Tash took her from me."

"Oh my, I am sorry." Susan said, unsure what to do. However the girl showed no sadness and instead smiled up at Susan.

"She wasn't very nice to me."

"Oh, what about your parents."

"Well that's a really long story, but I suppose we have little else to do, I will tell you it." Susan looked in despair at the door, she couldn't tell this little girl that she didn't actually want to listen to her story, Lucy was much better at being polite and listening to what people had to say. But Dydeen took little notice of Susan and began her story.

"My mother, who was also called Dydeen was the prettiest woman in all the land. All the men loved her and adored her. But my father loved her most and she loved him. Now both my parents were great people at the court of Tashbaan. Both of them had prearranged marriages. But they were so in love that they secretly got married and I was made.

"However their parents, my grandparents, found out and declared the marriage illegitimate. They were never allowed to see each other again and my mother was sent away in the desert for punishment."

"And your father, what was his punishment?"

"Punishment? Men aren't punished for such things in Calormene." Dydeen said looking surprised at Susan's question. Susan had never liked the sexist system of Calormene and how women were just treated as objects owned by men, which was one of the many reasons why she had not married Rabadash or any Calormen for that matter.

"Anyway, part of the reason why my mother was banished was because she was pregnant, with me! Imagine the scandal; it's all like this big love story." In truth Susan was getting quite bored and didn't find this story very interesting, but being polite she listened. "Anyway my father didn't know my mother was pregnant, but my mother had me anyway. Auntie said that I looked so much like father that just by looking at me mother's heart broke all over again and she died of a broken heart. Sad really, I never knew her but I have her picture, here." Dydeen said producing an opening picture frame.

On one side of the frame there was a painting of a dark skinned beautiful woman with the same mischievous eyes that Dydeen had. On the other side of the frame was a man. He looked powerful, with his lighter skin and Roman nose. He did not have the usual beard of the Calormens but he was quite handsome.

"He was called Ilsombreh Kidrash."

Susan repeated the name under her breath. Looking back up at Dydeen she saw the similarities between her and her father, although they were so very similar Dydeen was not pretty as Ilsombreh was handsome. Strange that both parents may be beautiful but their offspring would be plain thought Susan to herself.

"My father is one of the lead guardsmen in Tashbaan. I've never seen him, but I hope that one day that I will."

Susan had never been interested in Dydeen's tale of woe and at this point had decided that she had enough and left. Entering the outside world she was great by blinding light and blistering heat. Placing her hand above her eyes Susan looked around her. Her sister was clutching Nutchit so tightly Susan had no doubt that Lucy was going to suffocate the poor creature if it wasn't half dead already.

Nonetheless Susan, worried for her small friend, rushed over.

"I am so glad you are alive, Nutchit." She said.

"Believe me, your highness, so am I." He replied gasping for breath as Lucy finally released him.

Unnoticed Dydeen was standing right behind the trio and on hearing the words 'your highness' wiped around to face them. Striding confidently up to them she asked.

"Who are you two, I mean three. I have told you about myself, now you tell about yourselves." She said as she folded her arms across her chest giving an air of authority.

"Hang on, little girl-" Nutchit started but was cut off

"I am not a little girl. I am a woman of Calormene."

"My apologies your ladyship." Nutchit replied, hiding his sarcasm well. Dydeen only raised her chin higher and sneered.

"Tell me about yourselves."

"Only if you apologies for 'throwing me away'." Nutchit replied.

"No I will not apologies, this is my land and I can do what I want on it."

"Stop!" Lucy cried stepping in-between them "You two are like little children arguing." Lucy turning to face Dydeen continued "I am Lucy, this is Susan who you have already met and this is our guide Nutchit."

"A descendent of one of the great companions of Reepicheep." Nutchit added folding his arms across his chest.

"Who was he?" Dydeen said, intending to infuriate Nutchit even further. But Lucy seeing that their childish argument could lead to serious ends have them both such a look that neither of them said anything for the next few minutes.

"We were accompanied by two dumb, yet trustworthy horses. Could you tell us where they are, Dydeen?" Dydeen only shrugged her shoulders.

"Well then they are either in the desert dying of thirst or were suffocated in the sandstorm." Lucy bowed her head in their remembrance. "They were faithful creatures but we should not dwell on that which we cannot alter."

"Spoken like a true queen." Nutchit said after a long pause of silence.

"Why do you call her 'a queen', little rat, they are only named after the kings and queens of old." Dydeen snapped at poor Nutchit.

Nutchit in turn turned to face Dydenn and shouted as loud as his little voice could muster "I am not a rat! I am a mouse! And until you can't get that right I won't utter another word to you."

"My apologies." Dydeen said shocked yet sarcastic.

"Don't get too upset with her." Lucy soothed "She did not realise she was making a mistake, and I am sure she will never make it again."

"Nobody has answered me yet. Who are you really?" Dydeen said tapping her foot on the floor.

"We are two daughters of Eve and this is our friend Nutchit, who is, as you have already found out, a mouse. We are on an extremely important mission, so we would appreciate it if you helped us and took us south as we need to find certain settlements."

"But who are you?" Dydeen persisted.

"I am Queen Lucy the Valiant, or in other circumstances known as Lucy Pevensie, Lucy or Lu even."

"And I am Queen Susan or in other circumstances know as Queen Susan of the Horn, Susan Pevensie, Susan or even Su. Feel free to call us whatever you want."

Dydeen was too shocked at that moment to say anything but instead stood with her arms still crossed over her chest and her mouth open wide in astonishment.

"It seems this young lady has gone dumb." Nutchit said, but after finally recovering her wits about her Dydeen blurted out

"Oh my, Wow. I never. Do you mind if I can have your autographs?"

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><p>Anybody who reviews get free hugs. FREE HUGS PEOPLE!<p> 


	14. In a Pool of Blood

Well after a long wait her you go, this chapter may be a bit confussing but bear with me and you'll see why everything is hapening ;)

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><p>Chapter 14 – In a Pool of Blood<p>

Edmund

Leuad was still in a huff about Waen and Frith taking too long to eat the grass. He couldn't understand why they even ate that stuff. The only reason he could see for eating that abdominal stuff was if you were feeling so sick that you just wanted to vomit and get all over and done with. But those horses just never seemed to stop eating it, at the slightest chance they would bend their necks and munch at it.

Once again Firth was lowering his head to get a bite of the grass they were trotting past. Leuad snapped at his heels, fed up with all this delay, caused the stallion to rear.

"Frith, don't try to kick my off." Edmund shouted clinging to horses neck.

"My apologies your majesty, this dreadful guard thing you insist on having with us was snapping at my feet."

"And for good reason, you –" Leuad stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air. Edmund knowing something was wrong furrowed his eyebrows.

"What do you smell, Leuad."

"Someone's approaching. I'll go and see who it is." Leuad jumped off into the forest leaving Edmund and Acontia alone with their horses.

Both of them looked around uneasily, looking for any sign of an intruder. But before they saw anything a small sharp stone was skilfully aimed at the back of Acontia's head knocking her out in one blow. Waen bucked up in fright but Edmund immediately dismounted and putting his hand on her head calmed her. Frith also being frightened by an unexpected attack was whinnying frantically. Edmund hushed words of comfort into their ears and looked around for the attacker.

As his eyes flicker towards a darker patch in the trees, when an arrow flew straight for his head, only a timely ducked saved his life. Drawing his sword he slowly moved over to Acontia who was lying on the floor face down, looking around him all the time.

Just as he could almost reach her another arrow flew past his hand and he turned to look at where the arrow had come from.

"Don't touch her." A voice said as several mounted men showed themselves from the forest all of their bows pointing at Edmund.

Edmund knew better than to attack, he was more likely to survive if he used his tongue and not is sword. Lowering his sword to the ground he lifted his hands up into the air as an act of submission. He was no coward, just clever.

"What should we do with him, sir? Kill him?"

"Yes, why not?" The first man to have spoken said. Several men dismounted drawing their swords now and forcing Edmund to back away from them into Firth.

"No, leave him. All men found on this land report to my master, especially people concerned with her." Another man said pointing to Acontia lying on the ground. This man was dressed in purple instead of the brown that the other men were wearing, this man was from another allegiance.

One of the other men sneered at this remark and the man dressed in purple gave him such a look that the man began to quiver on the spot.

"You would do well to remember who is in charge here." The one in purple said.

"This is not your land, we control things here." The man who had showed himself to be the leader of the men dressed in brown said.

"And who is the overall leader." The purple one said.

The brown one only huffed at this remark and ordered his men to lower their bows.

"We will take him back to _our _master." One of the brown men said.

"It seems I have no say in this matter then." Edmund put in daringly, openly questioning the men's authority.

The leader of the men in brown dismounted and drawing his sword walked towards Edmund. He moved his sword so that it scraped a line of blood on Edmund's chin. The man then wiped the blood on the grass and looked at it intently. When noting happened he looked back at Edmund and grinned a horrible grin, baring all his blackened teeth.

"You are no star, then why do you risk your life accompanying this _traitor_? Surely you have enough sense to not aid her." The man kicked Acontia, and Waen now infuriated attempted to kick the man's head in but Edmund intervened, holding her bridle tightly he said to her in hushed words.

"Do not attack, our greatest chance of survival is to play along." He whispered to the enraged horse.

The man dressed in purple stared at Acontia with great interest Edmund noticed and when the leader of the brown men had kicked her he had winced as if it had been he himself who had been kicked. Edmund let go of her bridle and bent down to inspect Acontia. The man had kicked her hard and his spurred boots had drawn blood. The red liquid pooled from her back onto the ground and when it touch earth magnificent blue and white flowers, similar to morning glory in appearance sprouted from where the blood touched.

"Do you know what those are?" The man in purple questioned.

"No." Edmund said on astonishment.

"Do you know who she is?"

"Only that he name is Acontia and by your questions I have gathered that she is a star." Edmund said, knowing that acting as if he was insolent was the best option open to him.

"Why were you with her then?" The man continued.

"We were passing in the forest and were going in the same direction so decided that we would go together." This lying thing wasn't going too badly. The man in purple dismounted and drew his sword raising it above Acontia he turned to Edmund and said

"Then you won't mind if I do this." The sword swept down until it almost sliced Acontia's neck away from her body. Edmund didn't even have time to think as he drew a dagger and with all his might thrust it between Acontia and the sword.

"As I thought." The man in purple said as he put away his sword "Take him."

Before Edmund could react he was hit on the back of the head and all went black.

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><p>"He's waking up."<p>

"Go and get some warm water."

"Yes, sir."

All was fuzzy, he couldn't see anything and all sounds were groggy and muffled. He could just about see two figures in his room. He was on a bed and one person was sitting on a chair by the bed, another, a faun was leaving the room.

Edmund slowly tried to prop himself up and immediately found two helping hands propping cushions for him and handing him a glass of water.

"How are you feeling now?" The man said taking the glass of water back and putting it on the bedside table.

"Where am I?" Edmund asked ignoring the question.

"That is of little consequence now, you are still too tired for information to be piled on you." The man said soothingly.

"Who are you?" Edmund said, his list of questions never-ending.

"I might ask the same question from you, but I believe I already know the answer." The man looked at Edmund as if he needed permission to carry on. Edmund continued to inspect his room from the comfort of his bed. It was quite spectacularly built all from wood and leaves making a room, a style of house that he enjoyed.

"If you don't want to answer me you don't have to, but this sword belonged to King Edmund from the Golden age and I have heard rumours that the four have returned once again to Narnia, though for what purpose I know not, Narnia is not at war – but at peace. I was wondering whether you were possibly King Edmund and what you were doing here?"

This man seemed friendly enough, perhaps this was the camp of the west, although he thought that messengers had been sent to announce their arrival.

"Yes, I am King Edmund and what I am doing in these parts are my business and my business alone."

"I must apologise about the harm of which my men did to you."

"Where are the horses? Where is Acontia?"

"Hush, hush, you are still confused. Just go back to sleep."

"NO!" Edmund said placing his legs over the edge of the bed to get up. "You know so much about me, now tell me about yourself."

"Only if you go back to bad."

"I am not a child!" Edmund shouted losing his temper "I am your king, and you will do as I command."

Edmund had realised what he had just said, he was no dictator, his old world had seen too many of those. He was fair and just. King Edmund the Just, this man had been nothing but kind to him and all he could do was shout at him.

"I'm sorry." Edmund finally said "I lost my temper suddenly."

The man raised his eyebrows, silently questioning whether this was something that all Kings did. "You are still tired, I see. You must rest."

"Would you please leave me for a while, I need some time to gather myself." Edmund said, almost half believing that he would love to go back to sleep.

"Of course, your highness." The man said bowing and leaving. Shutting the door behind him Edmund heard the key turn in the lock and the man's footsteps leave.

He immediately jumped up from his bed, and grabbed his head, getting up so quickly wasn't a good idea. He walked over to the shuttered window. Locked as predicted. He walked over to the door, also locked. There was no way out that was for sure.

_Edmund, where are you?_

"Acontia?" Edmund said unconsciously out loud. _I'm in some sort of room, they've locked me in. Where are you._

_I'm underground, Edmund, they've tied me up. They know I'm a star. These people are in league with Sorugyn. Edmund they are bad people, please don't trust them._

_They have acted kind to me so far._

_I know that was how it was for me, but I promise you that no matter what they are like on the outside they are very different on the inside, please trust me on this one. _

Edmund heard footsteps and immediately sprung back into bed. He wished to carry on this conversation with Acontia, he wanted to find out who everyone was, where they were and what was happening. The key turned in the lock and the door was pushed open.

The man in purple, whom Edmund had seen earlier, barged in and roughly forced Edmund's hand behind his back pushing him out of the door.

"I can walk without assistance, you know." The man let go of his hand making sure to give it an extra hard twist before he let Edmund walk free.

"Where are we going?" Edmund dared to ask. However the man did not say anything. "Don't you speak?"

"You wanted to see your little friend didn't you, see how weak she has become."

"What?" Edmund said but before he could say anything he felt a blind fold being put over his eyes and both his hands were taken and he was led roughly down some steps, into the open air and down some more steps.

"Where are you taking me?" He was suddenly pushed against a wall and a knife shoved to his throat.

"If you don't shut up I will slice your throat. I am just trying to help you, I thought you wanted to see your 'friend' so come and see her."

Edmund said nothing but followed trying his best to memorise the directions in which this man was taking him. After going down another flight of stairs he heard a new voice.

"You don't have permission to be here, Allem. You know that."

"I have a special visitor, let me through."

"What was that, a threat?"

Edmund heard a knife being drawn and the other soldier hurriedly said

"Of course, you may pass, my apologies."

Edmund was pushed roughly passed a doorway into a place that stank of damp, rotten flesh and blood. The blindfold was ripped off his eyes and he saw very little apart from the darkness in front of him.

Edmund could hear voices, and one was certainly Acontia's. Almost involuntarily he ran forwards, but the man in purple, or Allem as the guard had called him, held him back and forced him to walk slowly by his side. They reached a door and Allem swung it open revealing a pool of blood, a man whom he had thought so kind before – the one who had given him water, and above all Acontia beaten, kicked and gloved hands tied so firmly behind her back she could barely move, there seemed so little life left in her that Edmund ran over to her and cradled her in his arms. But Acontia seemed to barely notice Edmund's presence as her eyes were fixed upon Allem, who in turn did not take his eyes off her.

The man who had given Edmund water earlier that day was sitting in the corner staring at Allem who suddenly turned all his attention to him walked over and hit him with the side of his sword of the head, knocking him out.

"Who are you?" Edmund asked still cradling Acontia in his arms who looked as if she had seen a ghost "What are you going to do with us?"

"I will take you to Sorugyn." Edmund had to quickly remind himself that Sorugyn was the man they were all fighting "These people here wanted to keep you to themselves, you would never leave this place, but Sorugyn will treat you kindly, of course if you do what he says, Acontia please." This time Allem was looking her straight in the eye "You must do what he says, or it will be your end."

"It will be my end to ever submit to Sorugyn, I will never do what he commands me. He killed my brother, you killed my brother. He trusted you Allem, my dear brother Iliad trusted you. Why do you do this Allem? You look upon yourself and think you are doing me a favour but in reality you are sentencing me to a certain death."

"Sorugyn will not kill you, he loves you Acontia, we all loved you, I love you, and that is why I want to help you."

"Then unleash me, Allem, take off the metal from my hands, take off the gloves."

"You would kill me Acontia."

"Then let it be my revenge for what you did to my brother." Edmund watched this little conversation between the two and standing up between Allem and Acontia he addressed Allem.

"Do as she says." He knew his command sounded feeble and weak but it was the most he could do.

"You will stay out of this conversation." Allem shouted kicking Edmund out into a second part of the cell, then pulled a lever causing bars to fall from seemingly nowhere, separating him from Acontia.

_Acontia _he shouted in his head as he watched Allem stalk back over to her and lift her up by her hair and pushed his knife to her throat. Acontia struggled but her feet were off the ground and her hair was literally being pulled out of her head. Edmund instinctively put his hand in his shoe, where he always kept a secret knife hidden, and was surprised that it was still there skilfully threw the dagger so that it flew straight underneath Allem's hand cutting off Acontia's hair in one big swipe. Acontia fell to the floor and seizing the opportunity kicked Allem between the legs, then kicking him on the chest forcing him onto the floor knocked him out with one big swipe to the head.

She quickly ran over to the lever and released Edmund who in turn ran over, seized the keys and unlocked Acontia's handcuffs. Before Edmund could say a word, Acontia had seemingly drawn some strength and ha scrambled over to his fallen knife and was about the stab Allem with it when Edmund quickly grabbed her hand to prevent her.

"Please, we was only doing what he thought best, I don't know what he has done to you but please, don't spill more blood than is necessary."

Acontia looked at him, then at Allem, then at the man who had given Edmund the water earlier, she stood up and handed Edmund the knife.

"How little you know, Edmund, how little you know."

But he was not listening any longer; he led Acontia past many hallways, rooms and entrances. Edmund was surprised by how little people there were around, only once did they pass anyone, and they were far too absorbed in their shoes to notice to fugitives heading towards the stables. They reached the stables and Acontia was so weak she had to be lifted onto Waen. Edmund spurred both the horses on into the forest.

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><p>Hope you liked it, if you are confused about anything, don't hesitate to ask me, or just post it in a review.<p>

Oh and on that note, please reveiw.

Thanks


	15. Imprisoned

Okay, I am so so sorry that I haven't updated in so long, and I hope that you will still be interested in what's going on and thattime hasn't thrown you off. Hope you enjoy.

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><p>Chapter 15 - Imprisoned<p>

Peter

They walked, and walked, and never seemed to stop walking. Often Ama, tired with plodding forwards, would change shape and fly, scouting the land with her almost perfect eyesight and return to Peter encouraging him to walk faster.

But both of them inevitably grew tired, the bitter cold, the blistering winds and the ever decreasing temperatures were not doing wonders for them. Both of them tried new inventions of trying to keep themselves warm, one of the worst they conjured up was to put their prey's fat inside their clothes, but this stank so much they decided they would much rather face the cold like the brave warriors they were than resort to stinking worse than the backside of a minotaur.

They never saw any friendly comforting face inviting them in for a cup of tea, or anybody to even give a friendly wave. Once a small arctic fox scuttled past and when they asked him for help, he stared at them in absolute horror and ran off as fast as his little legs could take him. At the time they laughed it off, saying that they stank too much for the poor fox to approach but as the days trudged past Peter began to wonder whether that poor fox might have helped them. He had an ever growing fear that they were lost, he never told Ama of course, but he nagged himself at night for not chasing after that fox and asking for directions.

He loved the northern plains, their vastness, their solidarity, their freshness, their strength and the lack of civilisation. Many people despised them but he found some sort of surreal beauty to them, a beauty too few people understood. But maybe that was better or everybody would flock here and destroy this unearthly beauty.

"It's grown dark. We should stop for the night. The winds really picks up here."

"Yes, I know." Peter replied, brought out of his daydream.

They slowly walked over to the small clump of trees which would provide their shelter for the night, on reaching the small collection of pines they erected their small tent and set up a small fire. The wind howled endlessly that night and they soon had to give up on the idea of a fire.

Their previous arrangement had been for Ama to sleep inside the tent, being the lady and all, and Peter being the gentleman insisted on sleeping outside, as the tent was far too small to accommodate both of them unless they huddled together which would be highly unacceptable if they did as they were neither related nor married. But this night was exceptionally cold and as Ama sat inside she could not help feeling sorry for poor Peter outside.

So sticking her head outside "Peter come in, please, you'll freeze to death out there."

"But it would be unseemly."

"It would be even more unseemly if High King Peter died in my presence."

"Are you sure?" Peter said: if anybody saw them together, sleeping in such close quarters it would ruin her reputation completely.

"Yeah, plus I was getting cold myself, two people in one tent will certainly warm things up."

Peter crawled in through the small entrance making sure to close the flaps firmly behind him. He sat down on one side and realised how small the tent really was. Ama lay down motioning for him to do the same, for a while they slept back to back, so close Peter could feel every one of her movements. Ama fell asleep quickly, the sharing of heat lulled her quickly and her breathing eased and slowed, but Peter could not settle.

He admired her lack of care for the constraints of society, they were of course doing nothing wrong, but the possibilities of what could even happen were breathtaking. Why was he even thinking of that? Her trust was amazing. To put it simply he was astonished.

But that was only the beginning, the sleeping Ama rolled over and snuggled her head into Peter's back, he could feel every intake and outtake of warm breath that she took. It tickled. He rolled over so they were face to face and he stared at her sleeping face. So young yet so wise and experienced as if all the deaths that she had witnessed were laid in that fair face of hers.

Peter was later surprised of his actions and never quite understood why he did what he did. Slowly and more delicately than a man of his could size could seemingly do he kissed each of Ama's eyes in turn and then her forehead and finally her mouth. All were short and sweet, like a romance first blossoming, like a small flower too scared to yet become full and beautiful instead decided to become something small and pretty.

Peter stared at this young woman sleeping so peacefully hiding all the cares of the world behind the delicate mask of her face. Smiling to himself he ran his fingers across his lips and felt where they had touched, and with such beautiful thoughts in his head he fell asleep.

"Where are we on the map, Peter?"

"Here." He said pointing to spot which seemed reasonable but they should have passed it days ago.

"Oh, so we should reach the camp tomorrow."

"We should." 'We should have already reached it' Peter thought to himself. He did want to worry Ama further, she already had so much on her mind – avenging her mother's death, and she and her father trying to keep the whole of Narnia intact.

But the day passed with Ama in good spirits about going to the camp and meeting all her friends again but Peter under all his smiles and laughter was truly worried. Whether Ama suspected something and was trying to keep his spirits up he did not know, perhaps they were just going in circles – the mountains always on the horizon – never closer never further.

The day grew darker, but they did not see the sun setting, grey clouds darkened the sky, so thick that no light could get through. A wind so strong pulled up so that they could not walk in the direction they wanted to and the two of them had to give up and they started to dig, as setting up a tent in this weather was futile.

With a spade that Peter had thought it pointless to carry around they managed to create a hole large enough to accommodate the two of them. It was a tight fit but they managed. Peter left a dagger by the hole so he would know where it was when they woke up and the falling snow was beginning to cover it.

Ama woke up and was greeted by dazzling white. Snow all around her, and Peter by her side, his head which had been resting in her lap was now laid on the ground. Tucking her bag underneath his head she walked over to where the exit had been, the dagger was stuck in a piece of ice and putting her small hand around it she attempted to pull it out. She only succeeded in toppling over onto Peter who immediately woke up.

"What's going on?"

"There was a seriously heavy snow fall, it has compacted into ice."

"What?" Peter said rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"See where the dagger is, it's all ice."

Peter walked over to where Ama pointed and curled his hand around the frozen hilt and pulled. The dagger was jammed and the hilt being alippery from the layer of ice which had been frozen around it was extremely difficult to grip.

Peter gave up on the idea and pulled out the spade and started to complete the difficult task of digging upwards.

"Can I help?" Ama asked crouching down in the opposite corner.

"Get out the wood from the pack and start a fire. Maybe if we melt the ice it'll be easier."

"Of course." Ama said crawling on all fours to the bag. There was not much space to start a fire but somehow she managed.

Of course there being no wind, the fire picked up quite quickly and the space being small – the two of them took off their big furry coats.

"Okay, now give me a burning stick."

"Here."

Peter held up the flame to the ice but it made little difference, they both began to wonder if the ice was not enchanted.

"Someone doesn't want us to escape." Ama said feeling absolutely useless.

Peter ignored her remark and continued to try and melt the ice. "Damn it, work!" He shouted at the fire. "This is pointless."

Peter dropped the branch and returned to the spade.

"I will not die here." He muttered to himself. Ama was rocking herself slowly trying desperately to think of some ingenious idea to free them.

The spade soon proved useless and broke at the stress of trying to break ice – Peter moved onto his sword, and once again proved useless against the ice. Although they were making a small dent he had broken the spade and the sword was so blunt it was practically useless.

Peter sat down and put his head in between his hands in agony. Ama looked at him and felt tears threatening in her eyes. She forced them back and changed form. Stalking over to the part in which Peter had made a small dent she continued to peck at it – pecking out some ice and then spitting it out again onto the floor.

Peter watched intently at her first, he watched as she systematically pecked in a circle. When she pecked in the circle ice kept falling off onto her feathers. She would shake to get it off and one feather fell onto the floor. Ama returned to her work and did not notice Peter crawl over to the feather and pick it up and she did not notice how he carefully placed it his breast pocket just above his heart.

"It's no use." Ama said before Peter had even noticed that she had changed shape. "Not only your sword and my beak blunt but we have also destroyed that spade. We are not far from the camp – maybe they will send out scouts for us."

"You are tired. I'll keep an ear open for any one approaching. Go to sleep"

Ama smiled at him, thanking him silently, and laid her head down. Peter moved closer to her so that they could share heat as they had thought it best to extinguish the fire – the smoke filling up the tight space and choking them.

While she slept Peter brought out the dagger which he had finally managed to melt away from the ice and taking a stray branch of pine that he had collected he returned to his old habit of carving – the wood was no good for burning anyway.

He never put much thought into carving wood. It was an escape for him – an escape from thought and all worriers. It was something that he had picked up on his travels around Narnia – they were particularly fond of it in the west of Narnia and the delicate hands of the fauns especially had a talent for it.

He never planned what he was going to carve – it sort of came into his head at the time. But he was always attached very dearly to all his pieces, he had left all of them behind when he returned back to England through the wardrobe. He often longed for them as he knew their each individual shape so well – every tiny little detail, every blemish and every perfection.

He peeled the wood back and back – subconsciously carving. He carved a long neck, long legs and intelligent eyes. He carved each feather with such delicate care – even with a magnifying glass it would be hard to see all the intricate detail that Peter put into that tiny model.

He swept away the remains of the wood and looked at his finished object. A bird, a heron, a creature free to ride the wind and do whatever it pleases to do. Untying one of his bootlaces he threaded it through the heron making it into a necklace.

Unlacing his other shoe he threaded that through the heron feather and put that around his neck, underneath his many layers of clothing and cotton shirts. He watched the sleeping Ama and slowly caressed her hair.

"You look so peaceful and so beautiful; I hardly know what to make of you." He whispered to himself. "You are a bird, a symbol of freedom and yet we are trapped here together within the cold and icy bars of our cage."

"We will fly free, you and I." Ama said sitting up, she had not been asleep after all and Peter was blushing at what he had said. "Even if we will not fly from this cage with our bodies we will fly away with our souls into a world that is eternal, and upon arriving there will be assured of bliss."

"You speak so eloquently, I can do nought but believe you."

"Then believe me and rest in peace – I will listen out for any soul approaching."

Peter laid his head on Ama's lap and gazed up at her watching eyes. They were such a charming deep purple, so beautiful, and so Peter fell asleep looking up into her deep purple eyes.

Too short was his rest when he was awoken by shouts. Ama was shouting by the exit for help as loud her voice could manage. Peter joined her as he could also here the movement of horses' feet. They shouted and shouted, but it all seemed in vain.

"They cannot hear us." Ama said – her voice as hopeless as the situation.

"We have spent our voices."

"But we cannot give up, not now. Our supplies are running low and I hope you do not believe me to be so insolent to the fact that I know that soon we will die, Peter, I know what fate awaits but I will not give into it."

"And nor will I." Peter replied taking holding her shoulders and looking her straight in the eye.

But they shouted and shouted until their voices were hoarse, but nobody heard them. Both resigning to their fate they sat down together and held each other in their arms as means of comfort.

Many days past and each day their food supply dwindled until it finally disappeared. Every day their eyes grew into their gaunt faces and they trembled with the effort to last. Neither of them wanted to die, but there seemed no other option.

But on the day that they should have died, Peter heard a rumble above them, too weak to call out he did nothing but watched as a club beat into their prison and two warm strong hands carried them away.

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><p>I'm not forcing you to review, but I'd really really like you if you did.<p> 


	16. An Old Alliance

My greatest and most humble apologies. I know, I know I haven't updated in over a month! I feel rather guilty. But finally here it is, I'm afraid this isn't one of my best chapters as it was done between various forms of work and revision for tests, but nonetheless I hope you enjoy it and any feedback is appreciated especially and plot suggestions, constructive criticisms, your favourite things etc. you get the Picture. Oh and **MERRY CHRISTMAS! and A HAPPY NEW YEAR **(encase I don't see you before then).

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><p>Chapter 16 – An Old Alliance<p>

Susan and Lucy

"Here are some clothes which are more suitable than those fancy dresses you're wearing." Dydeen said holding up some thin cotton shirts which looking as if they were centuries old.

"Err, thank you Dydeen." Susan said picking up the shirt and loose trousers which were handed to her. She always had an eye for fine clothing but this stuff was awful – atrocious, must have been bought for peanuts.

"I hope they will fit you – they were my aunt's."

'Second hand as well' thought Susan.

"We thank you very much for your kindness, Dydeen, now we won't be as hot, and it will be far easier to walk in these clothes." Lucy said – being the eloquent one as usual.

"Well, you are welcome your majesties." Dydeen said still getting used to using that term.

"We are really sorry to bother you even more, Dydeen, but we haven't eaten for a very long time" Lucy continued "and all of us are pretty much starving – so if you have any food handy we would be utterly grateful."

"Of course your majesties – there isn't too much food to spare but I'm sure I'll find something for you."

Dydeen exposed the almost empty contents of the drawers – somehow she dug and rummaged and found some stale bread among what could only be bones of meat that had been devoured long ago.

"Um, I am afraid this is all I have your majesties." Dydeen said stuttering slightly as she pushed a bit of bread towards them. "Hang on I think I may have some butter left." She cried as she jumped back into the cupboard.

After much searching a whole cube of butter was found and the three of them feasted leaving Dydeen to watch. The food vanished instantaneously and even Susan, who was one all for manners, just shovelled the food into her mouth. None of them had realised how hungry they really were.

"I didn't realise rats could eat that much." Dydeen said sneeringly at Nutchit.

"I think this is now called an official case of bullying, don't you think your highnesses."

"Hmm, Nutchit I think you can stand your own." Lucy encouraged

"Whatever your highness says must of course be true so I will stand in this verbal fight against this girl." Nutchit replied while Lucy giggled.

"Hang on a sec, I'm just a tad confused, the rat..."

"MOUSE!"

"Mouse, _whatever_, well it just called you 'your highness' but I call you 'your majesty'. Who's wrong?"

"Actually, neither of you are wrong." Lucy said as she tried to scoop off the crumbs from the table with the tips of her fingers "Both ways are correct Dydeen but you can just call us Queen Lucy and Queen Susan or even Lucy and Susan – really it's a personal choice."

"I am so confused." Dydeen muttered.

"Well anyone with a brain your size would be." Nutchit replied haughtily.

"You one to talk about size!" Dydeen snapped back.

I suppose one could hardly believe that several days and many miles later those two were thick as thieves, never leaving each other's side. Nobody really remembers how it happened – how something just clicked.

At first they would argue which way would be the best way to go each, each of them claiming that their way was better than the other. One day Dydeen whispered something in Nutchit's ear concerning her way to go about things Nutchit's face distorted into confusion but then understanding and he said to her

"I don't know why I didn't think of that – lead the way young Dydeen."

Dydeen smiled at her small friend, having finally triumphed, and they walked side by side, while Lucy and Susan smiled from behind.

"You could never have imagined it." Lucy told Susan

"No – but after all they are two nice enough souls."

"Nice enough?" Lucy replied shocked "They are two of the kindest creatures I have ever met. Nutchit is so like Reepicheep in his valour and nobility and Dydeen saved our lives. Nutchit reminds me so much of Reepicheep – oh, how I miss him."

"Sister, you must have forgotten – Reepicheep was only a legend, he never existed." Susan said in the matter-of-fact way she mustered so well.

Lucy could only sigh. Her sister was getting better and believing more and more in Narnia, however there were some parts of her memory which still needed jogging, especially area's concerning Aslan. But Lucy was planning to do everything slowly – maybe Aslan would even appear and then Susan would have to believe. But there was one thing that was unsettling which Lucy hadn't told anybody about. That dream that she had – Aslan had asked for help, was he in trouble? She couldn't quite decipher the dream – it was puzzling her to the end of her wits.

"Lucy look!" Susan shouted waking Lucy from her thoughts.

Lucy looked up and saw several giant statues carved into the rock. Standing back to get a better view she looked up at them. They were statues of the Kings and Queens of Narnia. There was Caspian, and the man named King Caspian IX next to him who had been his father presumably. On the right of the Caspian she knew, stood his son but only half finished – he had no legs nor a name tag underneath.

Each statue had the name at the bottom and an emblem at the top, above Caspian was a ship – the Dawn-Treader, where he had so many great adventures, and above his father was an eagle – the symbol of Telmar. Yet above Caspian's son there was no emblem, there stood the nameless, emblem less young man who really looked like a boy in the statue.

Lucy dwelt long on the young boy's handsome face – it had its father's sternness yet its mother's grace – it was quite beautiful, 'What a shame that he was murdered' Lucy thought.

"He was quite like that in reality – young Rilian was, a perfect sculpture. But your majesties come along further and I will show you something else." Reepicheep said as he scampered off to the left. Lucy stood awhile longer gazing up at the face of young Rilian and Susan had to actually drag her away from it.

"Look here your majesties – you are also carved in the rock." Dydeen said pointing up. Once again it was incredible likeness, Susan could not help but wonder how they had done it there being little evidence of what they looked like. The sculptors' memory must have been incredible.

The sculptures were set in the same order as the thrones in Cair Paravel had been. Edmund to the far left, the second to enter Narnia, at first being rude and mischievous but whose experiences, of which he had told nobody about, had changed him to be the intelligent, cautious, sarcastic and above all just king that he was now. Above his head was the broken wand of Jadis and his face was carved to be serious yet underneath those eyes there seemed to be some shine as if he was already planning mischief.

Next to him on the right was Peter, the High King, the eldest, the one that always felt responsible for them all, Lucy thought – always caring, always wanting to do best for his siblings. The natural leader, so brave as he charged into war. Above his head lay his beloved sword Rhindon given to him by Father Christmas, but now lost up in the north. His face was also serious but there was a kind and caring look in his eyes that suddenly made all four of them feel safe.

Then again to the right stood Susan, so similar to the Susan that stood next to Lucy at that very moment, just the one standing there at the very moment looked less assured of herself and less queenly Lucy thought. Susan looked very motherly in the carving, so logical and so serious. There was no point in arguing that Susan was beyond beauty itself, her long hair, her full lips, her fair skin the list went on, Lucy could only imagine what it was like to be so beautiful. So headstrong, so talented and intelligent she looked and was, so graceful, so gentle. Lucy couldn't help being jealous of her. Above her head was her horn, which lay now beside her hip.

Lucy eye's settled upon the statue of herself, Queen Lucy the Valiant, she was the youngest, the most faithful, she never stopped believing in Aslan, never. She remembered when she first came through the wardrobe how nobody believed her, how Edmund made fun of her and how the others told her to stop acting like a child – but she never lost hope, she kept believing. She was the quickest to make friends, so trusting was she. Comparing the two statues of herself and her sister, Lucy could not help but realise the difference. Much to her admiration she looked much braver and more adventurous than her sister. Above her own head was her beloved cordial – which she so missed.

But between the Kings of Old and Caspian and his family was Aslan – the terrible, magnificent, beautiful talking Lion. Dangerous and unconquerable, and as all true Narnians repeated 'He's not a tame lion'. Underneath was inscribed 'Aslan The True King of Narnia' and indeed that was his true title and he was the true leader of Narnia, nobody, not even any of her siblings, could ever take that power away from him.

"Aslan looks so majestic." Lucy could not help but whisper.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Susan asked looking truly bewildered.

"The carving of Aslan of course."

"Have you gone mental? There are seven statues, seven! Edmund, Peter, Me, You, followed by an empty space between us and Caspian IX then Caspian X and then his son. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Can't you see, Aslan between us and Caspian and his relatives, look he is there." Lucy said pointing to where the carving was.

"Lucy, I think the heat's got to your head."

"No, I see him too your majesty." Nutchit said from below them all. "I see his ferocity and his power in the way he is looking, that statue alone of him seems more powerful than all the armies in the world could ever be."

"I can't see him." Dydeen whispered from behind, her voice sounding very guilty.

"Can't you see those eyes, in the stones that great mane of his, can't you see it, my dear girl?" Nutchit said pointing to where Aslan was.

"I can't, I was taught that Aslan doesn't exist, I was taught that Tash is the only God that exists."

"See," Susan said triumphantly "I'm not crazy, the heat must have gotten to your heads."

"But Susan, surely you remember at least what Aslan looked like, imagine at least that he is there, because really, he is."

"Lucy, really, I am tired of these babyish games, it's not April Fool's Day so stop trying to tricking me into believing some stupid lies." Susan said beginning to walk away.

"I won't give up." Lucy muttered to herself. "She will believe, she will"

Lucy followed Susan and began to start some conversation about their mission, so that they wouldn't have to discuss anything about Aslan.

"Nutchit," Dydeen whispered "Do you think that Calormen and Narnia will ever be such good friends again that they would carve each other's figures and God into the rocks."

"I believe that the Kings and Queens of old are capable of anything, there is no doubt in my heart that they will reunite the two countries and I am sure that we will be at peace once more."

"I hope so, I jolly well hope so." Dydeen muttered as she skipped along to join the two Queens.

"Welcome Queen Lucy and Queen Susan, flock to the streets, come, scatter petals all around them, celebrate!" Shouted Dydeen and Nutchit in unison as they approached a small town.

"Well it seems the quiet welcome we desired has flown out of the window." Muttered Lucy not unhappily to Susan who was walking head held high next to her.

"It is certainly pleasant having all this attention," Susan replied basking at being the centre of attention, waving left right and centre "but are you sure this is safe, I mean if our enemies find out what we are doing then..."

"Look Su," Lucy said also enjoying the attention "I don't think many spies would be here in this small village, Ed taught me enough to know that we have to be on our guard in the big cities, not here."

"But Calormen was never friendly with Narnia, don't you think that they might, I don't know, assassinate us in our sleep."

"Come on Susan, Caspian was friendly with the Calormenes, even after he died Narnia and Calormen were allies."

"But since his death, Calormen and Narnia have not been such good friends, I remember Eril saying something about Calormen ships raiding the Narnian ones."

"Look Su, I think you're really over-reacting, these people here seem to be nice – look they're rejoicing in our coming, those sculptures we saw of us back there were sculpted in honour of Narnia."

"I hope you're right." Susan replied all the time waving and smiling at her delighted subjects.

However neither of them noticed a dark-skinned man looking out a window above a small inn with a scowl on his face. Nobody noticed how he harnessed his black horse and spurred it on towards to capital of Calormen, Tashbaan – home of all spies.

"Here is my dead aunt's friend's house who was always kind to me – she will look after us, I'm sure. She always had a jar of sweets in the kitchen, I hope she still does." Dydeen said putting her hand on her stomach, recollecting the delicious taste of them on her tongue.

A friendly looking woman stood at her open door and invited them all in. They all sat down at the small table, Nutchit perched in Dydeen shoulder, and the woman served them all a nice warm cup of desert-bush-fruit tea. It scolded their mouths but they were all thankful for the refreshing drink, and even though they slept on the floor they did not complain – they were just happy as they were making good progress towards the camp at which they would gather troops. So far, very little had impeded their progress, yet.


	17. The Confession of a Married Woman

Chapter 17 – The Confession of a Married Woman

Edmund

The horses galloping hooves were not taking Edmund and Acontia as fast as they would like from that damned place. Admittedly Edmund's own experience hadn't been so terrible, but Acontia was bruised all over and cuts littered her face. They galloped over the plains for an hour and when they finally reached woodland, the horses slowed down begging for a rest. Edmund dismounted and turned to Acontia who looked very weak.

"Are you okay?" Edmund asked, turning his concerned face to look at hers. "I hope you don't mind your new haircut."

"No." Acontia said pulling a hand through her now shorter hair, she did not want to remember the dungeons, her meeting with Allem, Edmund freeing her by a well aimed throw of his knife, resulting in her hair remaining in Allem's hand while she fell to the floor, free now from his terrible grasp. It all reminded far too clearly about what had happened, not so long ago on that island with Sorugyn and her brother Iliad. Tears were springing in here eyes; she couldn't be like this before Edmund "I need to be alone." She said and rushed past the horses, past the trees to the small river which wasn't too far away and she collapsed onto the ground.

"Well what's wrong with her?" Firth snorted

"Don't you dare talk about Acontia like that!" Waen said facing up to Firth who only just taller than her "You don't know what she's been through, you don't know how much she's suffered, you don't know how much pressure rests on her shoulders. I bet you didn't know that she wanted to try and kill Sorugyn all by herself, but I said that was a furtive attempt and after some time she did see reason, and so that is why she brought the Kings and Queens of old back into Narnia, so don't you make any judgements about her."

"What, she brought us back into Narnia?" Edmund said completely shocked, he had thought that only Aslan had that power. "How?"

"My lady is more powerful than she lets people believe." Waen said with a look of pride. "Don't underestimate her."

"Where is she, I need to speak to her." Edmund said standing up and rushing after where Acontia had ran off to before anybody could stop him. He had a few questions to ask her, for a start why the hell hadn't she told him about anything, why hadn't she at least told him that she had brought them all back to Narnia, I mean come on, he was entitled to such information, and why had she brought them back at all, he was just getting used to life in England again, the last thing he needed was to be thrown across worlds like some sort of tennis-ball.

Edmund stumbled through the trees until he reached a small bubbling brook. It was quite a beautiful setting, the green trees surrounding a noisy, clear, little stream. But that was not what interested Edmund. What was far more interesting was a figure, shaking with sobs next to the stream, singing softly as if trying to comfort herself, running a hand through the water below as if the water could wash all the cares of the world away.

Edmund was not sure whether to approach her or not. Edmund called her name softly but she did not respond, she just continued to sing so very very softly. It was a beautiful melody, lonely and sad, yet angelic as if it did not belong in this world but in the world of the gods. Edmund had a good ear for music which he shared with Susan, both of them were excellent singers and both of them had the talent of being immediately able to sing a piece of music right after hearing it.

Edmund approached Acontia cautiously, and put one hand on her quivering shoulder, wanting to comfort her and calm her down. He wished he knew what to do with women like Peter did. Would it be better to leave her to her own devices or to sweep her up his arms and comfort her with kisses? He honestly did not know the best way to go about things.

"Are you okay?" He questioned, knowing how awkward his question was, she obviously wasn't okay, but what else could he say "Do you want a drink or something, I think we still have some of that ale they gave us in the inn."

When Acontia did not repliy but remained hunched on the ground Edmuund thought it best to leave and fetch her that ale, it always cured his ails at any rate. He began to walk away but Acontia sat up and called after him

"Wait don't leave." She reached out her hand to him and he took it. It was so soft and the skin was so fair, but not sickly. She looked up at him through tearful eyes. "Edmund can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, sure" He smiled back at her, hoping that this would comfort her. "Go ahead, ask me whatever you want."

"You were a traitor once, weren't you?" Edmund flinched, dropping her hand, and broke eye contact with her.

"You know the answer, you are a star, you see all. Why do you ask me? If you know anything at all about me as you say you do, then you would not have broached this topic." Edmund had always tried to push that subject away, it was very delicate and he did not want to discuss it any more. What had happened had happened, and no matter how much he tried he could not change it now. "You've known that all along, why do you ask now? Do you not trust me any more? Because I can swear to you that I have changed since then, I am not the same person."

"No Edmund," Acontia replied her voice steadied now "I trust you more than anybody else; you have helped more than anybody I've know. You have done it self-consciously but I still thank you for it. But I want to know one thing" Acontia turned around to look at him now, blue eyes meeting brown "What did it feel like afterwards? Did you ever forgive yourself?"

Edmund tried to break eye contact with her but found that he was unable. "I have learnt from my mistake, I have never forgotten what I did, but with the help of Aslan and my sibling, I managed to forgive myself."

"Would you have been able to forgive yourself without their help?" Acontia said softly.

"I can't say." Edmund replied, but how could he answer that question, he knew vaguely that Acontia had done something wrong which she seemed to regret, but why was she asking him these questions now?

"Would you have forgiven yourself if, lets say because of what you'd done Peter had died. Would you have forgiven yourself?"

Edmund stared straight at her eyes, why was she asking this questions. She knew the answer. "No, I would not have forgiven myself."

Edmund did not look away from Acontia once, it seemed as if he never even blinked. But now Acontia looked away back at the river. He watched as one lone tear tumbled down her cheek. Edmund remembered how she had cried earlier silently on the field of nightmares after having seen the ghost of her brother. Her dead brother. He betrayed brother. All of her shattered past seemed to be becoming clear to Edmund.

"How did he die? How did your brother die?" Edmund said kneeling down so that they were on the same level. Acontia turned her head and her wet eyes met with his.

"Looking into the eyes of his treacherous sister." Her voice broke but she did not fall into a mass of tears as he expected her to. Instead she continued to look at him, hatred taking over her deep eyes. Although their eyes never left each other Edmund did not feel that Acontia was directing this hatred at him, but rather at herself.

"How did you betray him?" Edmund suddenly felt drawn into her world, before where he had held no interest in her previous actions, he was now wanting something to fill it, he wanted information.

"We were both young," Acontia broke the stare and returned her gaze to river "very young by the reckoning of the stars but old beyond measure by your short human years. I was tired of living in Sky and I convinced my brother, Iliad, that we both wanted to experience what Narnia was really like rather than watch from the sidelines. You live here and you don't know what it is like to only watch, and not to feel the wind blowing on your cheek, or to feel the pouring rain. You take it all for granted, but I was curious and wanted to know what it was all like.

"We came down to an island in the east not far from Ramandu's island actually. It was an amazing experience. We tried food for the first time, wine in our mouths and the way the bread crumbled as you ate it. We washed and swam in the ocean, we felt water on our flesh, we felt the wind in our hair. We were only supposed to stay a month, some stars would come and fetch when it was all over, take us back to Sky. But they did not come. That was when everything went wrong."

Edmund gazed at Acontia who seemed to be lost in memory. She was not crying any more, she seemed to have calmed herself.

"Carry on." He encouraged.

"It'll be quicker if I do this." Acontia said and reached out for is hand. He felt something tug at his hand and suddenly all want incredibly bright and he was no longer by the river with Acontia, but instead it seemed as if he was standing infront a big screen, similar to ones at the pictures and was watching what was going on

_Acontia was standing in a forest with a man beside her. This man was tall, fair-skinned with jet black hair like his sister's. His name was Iliad. Suddenly a man on a horse came riding through the forest. _

Edmund recognised that man, he had seen a painting of him. It was in at Cair Paravel, he had asked eril who it was, they had not looked Narnian. Eril had said that each family was forced to put up a painting of their 'great leader' Sorugyn. Edmund clenched his fists at seeing the man.

_Sorugyn smiled at them and muttered some words which were blurred and unintelligible. After what seemed some discussion Sorugyn hauled Acontia onto the back of the horse and she clung on to him. The horse galloped towards a black-walled castle. Iliad seemed to have no problem running alongside the galloping horse – he was not even panting._

_Acontia and Sorugyn dismounted and were led away. The scene jumped to another were the three of them were finely dressed eating dinner. They were all laughing and everything was merry. Later they danced, smiles never leaving their faces._

"You were his friend" Edmund could not help asking, it seemed impossible. Whatever discussion Acontia had had with him about Sorugyn or the other side in particular she seemed to speak with such hatred.

"And more." The voice, no feeling betrayed in her tone.

_The scene switched to a balcony where Sorugyn was holding Acontia in his arms and they were kissing intensely._

Edmund had to turn his head away, but he could not. The scene stared him in the face no matter where he looked. It affected him more than he wanted it to, Acontia looked so happy, so pleased, so different from when she was with him, when she seemed to be angry and sad. Thankfully the scene changed.

_A duel was going on. Acontia had her twin blades and was wielding them expertedly against her partner, Sorugyn. The speed at which they were fighting seemed unrealistic, the blades moving faster than the eye could take in. He had never seen anybody fight like that, there seemed to be no air resistance, nothing that stopped the sword from reaching its destination. This was a new age of fighting. _

_They seemed matched in ability and neither of them wanted to take the upper hand, by the look on their faces they seemed perfectly content with remaining there in time and space just looking at eachother, not wanting to hurt eachother. Sorugyn did one quick flick of the wrist disabling Acontia of one of her swords._

_She was now not in her preferred style and her performance decreased. Sorugyn quickly took the upper hand and the sword which had just been in Acontia's hand now lay by her neck. But instead of Sorugyn dropping the sword, he drew closer to Acontia and whispered in her ear._

"_Do you surrender?"_

"_And what if I don't?"_

_Sorugyn emitted a growl "Then" he said drawing closer "I would just have to kiss you."_

_Acontia giggled like a young school girl as Sorugyn drew closer and their lips met. He dropped the swords and put his arms around her instead._

"Why are you showing me this?" Edmund shouted out, he wanted it to stop, watching this pained him. A slow realisation came upon him. Could he be in...?

"Yes, I loved him, don't you think looking back that I am not ashamed, just wait a bit longer." An angry reply came from the voice of Acontia which seemed so far away.

"_Acontia!" A voice shouted from the top of the training grounds. Edmund found he was looking at a displeased Iliad – a scowl clearly visible on his face._

_The young man stalked towards the pair and Acontia motioned for Sorugyn to leave, who did so willingly. Iliad reached Acontia and taking her by the arm led her away to a small fountain. _

"_What do you want?" Acontia asked crossing her arms_

"_You are getting too close to that man." Iliad said, no emotion shown in his voice._

"_You're jealous? I'm not only yours, there are other people in the world whom I like to socialise with."_

"_It's not that." Iliad said in a hushed voice "He hasn't been doing things that are particularly kind. He does not seem to be following Aslan's way."_

"_If you have a problem with him, then you can just leave because I think that the role of leader is not a hard one to fill and you are criticising him because I am sure that you would no doubt like to take his place and be King of Narnia!" Acontia shouted making as if to leave._

_Iliad grabbed her wrist and swung her so that she was forced to look at him. "You have fallen under his charm, I know you won't listen to me, but beware of him. Underneath his friendly facade lies a deeper and more terrible truth. He is only trying to use us. I warn you sister, I warn you."_

_Iliad let go of her wrist and stared deep into her eyes. He began to leave, turned around to look at her once more, and smiled almost in forgivness and ran off._

"_See if I care if you leave me" Acontia shouted after him "See if I care."_

_The scene was cut and now Acontia was sitting in a bedroom caressing Sorugyn's dark brown hair which now lay in her lap._

"_Iliad has left." Acontia whispered staring ito space._

"_Are you sad?" Sorugyn asked looking up at her flawless face._

"_No, he wanted to break us apart."_

"_Well then, if that was his motive I am glad he is gone." Sorugyn said as he raised his head to kiss hers. _

"Edmund you must understand that at that point I did not know the real him, and I did love him and later he asked me to marry him, and I accepted his proposal because I thought I loved him. But Edmund please don't judge me for what I did."

"I am interested in what happens next, carry on."

"Edmund what you see next, you must never divulge to ayone, you must swear to it."

"I swear, just carry on."

"You must swear never to use this information against me as Sorugyn did because if you do, then you will be killed on the spot that you broke that promise."

"I swear." Edmund said only wondering what was going to happen next.

_The two of them were standing next to each other. Sorugyn was holding Acontia in his arms, their noses barely inches apart._

"_When we are married, we will be the two most powerful people in the whole world, and nobody will be able to stop us, not even Aslan." Sorugyn whispered to Acontia._

"_Yes but we cann be even more powerful." Acontia smiled knowingly_

"_Yes, how?"_

"_If one kills a star, one gains all of its power. Of course you could never do that because we are very hard to kill."_

_Sorugyn's face turned very serious and he turned to look into Acontia's eyes._

"_Explain." He commanded_

"_Each star is a lamp in the night sky, and when you kill a star you have to battle that internal light, which is extremely powerful. It is so powerful that most people die in the process of murdering star. This power is really hard to explain, but I'm sure you with your amazing mind can understand what I'm getting at."_

"_You said each star is like a tiny part of Aslan."_

"_Yes, we are. That is why nobody has tried to kill us yet."_

"_You said each star has access to other's stars power like a sort of network."_

"_Yes"_

"_And Aslan is part of that network?"_

"_Yes, why?"_

"_I'm just wondering, so in theory if somebody killed a star they would have access to Aslan's power."_

"_Yes, but nobody would ever kill a star, it is such a great crime. I should not be telling you so much."_

"_But now you have started my curiosity, it cannot be quenched. I just want to know, so if you kept killing more and more stars one would become more and more powerful."_

"_Yes, but they way one could become so powerful without all of that is if somebody already had the power acquired from killing all these stars, and then if they actually found any star willing and they had a child with that star. That child would powerful enough so that they could challenge Aslan himself."_

"_That's how Jadis was born."_

"_Indeed, her line was a long line of stars, magicians and other such creatures, but they strayed from Alsan's path, which we will never do."_

"_No." Sorugyn said looking preoccupied._

"He sent out a search party for my brother the next day. They could not find him. I did not realise what Sorugyn was planning I swear. If I had known, then none of this would have happened. Allem, the man in the cell, was a great friend of my brother's they were like brothers to each other. Allem was with him when Iliad was hiding from Sorugyn's men, who were looking for him, but Allem betrayed his hiding place to Sorugyn and my brother was captured.

"Sorugyn said that he wanted Iliad to attend our wedding, he wanted him to acknowledge it. He said that he wanted our marriage to be as legitimate as possible. I did not talk to my brother much when he returned but he approached me and said that last night he had had a dream where Aslan had commanded him not to return to Sky unless he had taken me with him. He said he would follow that command but I refused to go with him. I cannot tell you how much I regretted that decision and how much I still do. He refused to leave without me."

_The three of them were eating breakfast and Iliad began to speak_

"_Your marriage is not planned for another month or so, I will leave for a while and come back in time for your wedding." Iliad said calmly with a voice that signalled authority._

"_You will not leave!" Sorugyn shouted "You will not leave here. There are guards at every entrance. You cannot leave!"_

"_Then I will return to Sky right now, you cannot prevent me." Iliad said, again his voice so calm, but now there was of hint of anger in it._

"_You will not. Guards! Take him to the execution block."_

_Acontia's face distorted into stupor and dread as realisation dawned on her. _

"_Let him go." She said, her voice incredibly calm for the situation. The guards looked at Sorugyn for instructions._

"_Carry on, what you were doing." Sorugyn said._

_Acontia looked at him as he began to leave the room. She followed him and shouted "How could you, how dare you, you are not following the way of Aslan."_

_She attempted to hit him or slap him but he took hold of her wrists._

"_It was your own fault." Sorugyn grunted at her "Should have kept your mouth shut."_

_Acontia's face was shattered and her patience as well. Her hands still in Sorugyn's, she tried to make skin contact with his wrists. One two fingers managed to touch his bare skin and her whole hand began to glow._

"_You will not kill my brother."She snarled "My brother warned me about you, he said you were treacherous and he was right, so you will die for your dishonesty."_

_Her hand which was in contact with Sorugyn started to glow ever more brightly and Sorugyn began to scream in pain. A gloved guard came over and tore Sorugyn away from Acontia and securely fastened Acontia's hands behind her back. _

"_I have always been kind and loving to you, Acontia, and this is how you treat me! You try to kill me!" Sorugyn said regaining himself "You will pay for it."_

"_Kill me, see if I care." Acontia shouted across the room to him._

"_Oh no, I would never do that" Sorugyn said, his voice turning sickingly kind. Walking over to her he began to caress her cheek. "Why would I kill my future wife, the one who will bear my most powerful children."_

_Acontia gasped "You would never."_

"_Why shouldn't I, I will arrange our marriage for tomorrow. It needn't be a big celebration."_

"_How dare you." Tears ran from her face and splashed in big droplets onto the floor._

"_But since you have been a bad wife so far, I will have to punish you, Allem bring her, she will be a spectator."_

_Acontia was lead outside to what seemed to be an execution block. Iliad was standing in front of it quite calmly. It was pouring down with rain and all of them were instantly soaked. Acontia struggled free from the man guarding her, and ran over to her brother. She nuzzled her head into his shoulder, both their hands being tied they could not hold onto each other._

"_You told him didn't you? You told him our deepest secret" Iliad said looking down at his sister._

"_Yes." She said not able to look into his eyes. _

"_I would tell you to stop making my shoulder wet with your tears, but it is already soaking from the rain."_

"_How can you joke about what is going to happen?" Acontia said staring into her brother's eyes._

"_This would not be happening if Aslan had not meant it to happen."_

"_I'm so sorry." She wept "I'm so sorry." Allem walked up to her and took her away from Iliad, forcing her legs to move in the cold wet mud beneath her feet. "I'm so sorry" she screamed out to him as she was dragged away._

_Without moving his lips Iliad spoke to her through his head 'Love means never having to say your sorry. Do what you can, help Aslan, don't let Sorugyn become powerful'._

_Just before the axe fell Acontia said without speaking 'I love you'_

'_I love you to' were Iliad's final words _

Then everything went incredibly bright and Edmund was standing once again by the river with Acontia at his side.

"As he died, our eyes never parted. I felt Iliad's resistance, he died, his internal light faded. But I took away all that resistance I sent away the resistance to Aslan, so that Aslan was trapped, as if in a deep sleep, it is hard to explain to you human beings who have no idea about internal light. You don't have it, you don't understand it."

"What happened afterwards? How did you escape?"

"I hated Sorugyn, and I swore that I would kill him. He forced me to marry him the next day. It was a small ceremony with only Allem present and the priest. I had no option, I had to marry him or they would kill me, and I had sworn that I would kill Sorugyn so I had to stay alive."

"You are married!" Edmund shouted, his eyebrows knitting together.

"Yes, but Edmund it was against my will, I never wanted it, don't you understand. Sorugyn did worse things. He tried to force me to ..., he tried to force me..."

"...to bear his child."

"Yes. But I refused, I know little of magic, but I know enough of curses so I cast one so that he could never lie with me, at first he was nice to me and dressed me in splendid clothes and gave me the finest jewellery in all the land. I refused everything. One night he came to my room and tried to force me, but I fought back. He then sent me to the dungeons and told the guards to do whatever they needed to for me relent. I will not go into details about what they did but I almost lost the ability to live and the only way I could survive was to lock myself in my soul. I did not speak, I lost the ability to. But one night, Sorugyn rode out to collect troops with Allem and many other guards. That night I managed to escape and I killed all the guards in the dungeons, such was my hatred for them. That night I escaped, I knew that I could not defeat Sorugyn alone and so the only conceivable thing to do was to call the old Kings and Queens back. I spent so much energy on that task, that I remained unconscious for a long while. The only thing Waen could think was to take me to Cair Paravel, and you know the story from there onwards."

Acontia looked down to the ground, trying to force back her tears. Her face bore the expressions as if she had been condemned to death. Edmund felt his heart being pulled towards and he took her shoulders and lifted her chin so that she looked at him.

"You have done a terrible thing that you would rather forget, and your story is safe with me. I forgive you for what you have done and so has your brother without a doubt. You must be strong and fight in your brother's memory."

"I will be Edmund." Acontia said as she continued to penetrate his soul with her beautiful dark blue eyes. Subconsciously their faces grew closer and closer until their lips were not more than a few millimetres apart.

"Sir." The harsh voice of Leaud shouted "There are seven men hot on your trail. You must leave."

"Leuad." Edmund called after the loping wolf "Where have you been all this time."

"That's a long story, but we really must go."


	18. Lune and the Full Moon

I feel like I haven't written anything on Peter recently but here you go, and I hope you enjoy it.

Please review, and thank you very much for those people who are constantly reviewing.

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><p>Chapter 18 – Lune and the Full Moon<p>

Peter

The rocking motion of the giant's hand was comforting and soon succeeded in lulling Peter to sleep. He tried forcing his eyelids up so that he could see where he was going. If he went to sleep now, Peter knew that he was so weak that there was a possibility that he would never wake up. He couldn't die, not now, not here; he was so close to his destination. He had made this journey with Ama, and he had promised that they would complete it, together.

A stray and unwanted thought then crossed his brain, perhaps this giant wasn't part of the rebels in the north, perhaps he was taking the two of the home to cook over his toasting fire and then feast on their young flesh.

'Well' thought Peter to himself 'If he's going to do that he will at least feed us because at the moment we are little more than a few bones and some skin thrown together'. At that moment Peter could care about little more than filling his stomach. He was starved, his stomach hollow and his cheeks gaunt, there was no way he could possibly live another day without food.

He felt himself being gently put down and soft voices filled his ears. He had no strength to open his eyes but he had enough idea that he was in some place warm, with soft sheepskin blankets encircling him and a soft goose feather pillow under his head. The smell drifting into his nose was so beautiful he could hardly have thought it real. Never did chicken broth smell as good as it did then.

He could barely wait in anticipation as a gentle hand lifted his head and he felt the warm soup trickle down his throat. When his mouth met with a piece of chicken he attempted to move his jaws to bite into the juicy meat but found he lacked the strength to even hold it in his mouth, and so it dropped out again.

He heard somebody beating the piece of chicken with the spoon until it was crushed into swallowable pieces and then they fed it to him again. If he ever had to name the best meal he had ever had it would have to be that particular chicken broth. No dish served at one of Susan's lavish banquets could ever compare with what he now had difficulty swallowing.

The soup disappeared all too fast and he must have demanded more because the soft, deep voice of his feeder replied that he would make himself sick if he had any more. He remembered his stomach grumbling in argument as he fell asleep.

All this sleeping was doing him very good and soon he was much better and in a condition to walk. After two days of rest and being hand-fed he was taken carefully to another tent made of red cloth. It was large, larger than the one he was staying in, and it contained a beautiful, old suit of armour made from gold by the looks of it, in the centre was a large table with a map laid out on it and Peter could just figure out the outline of Narnia and its surrounding countries.

With his back to Peter stood a tall man, who seemed to be staring intently at this map. The unicorn who had entered with Peter, named Anduad, stomped his foot as a signal of entrance. The man wave his hand in dismal,

"Leave us." He ordered.

The unicorn left, and the man continued staring at the map and made no motion to acknowledge Peter. Peter however did not waste this time idly and instead inspected the man, or his back at least. He had dark brown wiry hair, similar to the people of Archenland, it was tied back in a heap of knots and curls, but out of the way nonetheless. His skin was pale olive, not as dark as the Calormene's skin but so very similar to the men of Archenland's skin. It seemed that this man was from Archenland yet, what was he doing in Ettinsmoor? It was well known that the Archenlanders did not like the cold hard plains of Ettinsmoor at all. The Ettins and Archenlanders had never been great Allies yet this man seemed of some stature, that unicorn had just bowed to him. It would be unlikely that any Ettin would allow an Arcenlander to be in charge of such a big party of rebels.

The man walked over to a cooking pot and with a great ladle scooped out two portions of the steaming hot liquid into two bowls. Handing over one to Peter he ordered in his gruff voice for him to drink. Peter watched his face. It was young, possibly Edmund's age yet it looked so much older as so much of it was littered with scars that it seemed impossible for him to have gathered in his short years. But when Peter caught sight of his eyes he gasped. They were two black orbs, he had no whites, this man's eyes were pure black, like that of a dog with only a small ring of yellow on the outside. Peter lifted up the bowl to his lips never looking away from the man's eyes.

"It was my mother's special own drink, made from the hazelnuts of the Archenland forests that she so loved. It warms you to your very bones."

"So you are form Archenland." Peter smiled at his conclusion.

"And you are not from this world but another." Peter looked up at this man with surprise, how could he know who he was "You look surprised. Why? Do you think that I have not read my history books? I especially liked the ones with the detailed pictures. Did you like books with pictures, Peter?" The man said trying out his name on his lips.

"I think we can stick to King Peter for the moment, or if you're feeling formal High King Peter."

"Or High King Peter the Haughty if we feel bold."

Peter drew in a breath, this man was outright rude, and he would have to teach him a lesson later.

"Who are you; you do not seem to be in my history books." Peter replied, equally arrogant.

"I stick with the humble name of Lune. I'm named after that King of Archenland I believe you met once or twice."

"More than once or twice, we were good friends.

"And I hope we will be equally as good friends." Lune said while forcing Peter to shake his hand. Peter forced a smile. "I heard you were coming and I was ecstatic; ask old Anduad if you don't believe me, Anduad being the unicorn who led you in."

"I know who Anduad is." Peter replied crisply.

"So when do I have to gather an army by." Lune said returning to the map on the table "'Cos some of the troops are quite far away and their morale, well, let's say needs rising, plus I don't know how many still hold allegiance to us."

"We go to war at the end of the month, I will of course help you in raising troops. I am sure that seeing the High King of Narnia will raise a few spirits." Peter said grinning, this young man Lune had stricken a battle of words with him and he was not one to decline. But as Peter looked at Lune he saw his face contort into horror.

"Can we arrive no later?" Lune said his worried eyes meeting Peter's determined ones.

"No, I promised..." But Peter was cut off by Ama rushing in and throwing herself around Lune. Lune smiled immediately and circled his arms around her.

"Lune, I am so happy to see you, it has been too long, what is it? Six years since we last met!" Ama squealed "Are you not happy to see me too, you look sad Lune. What is wrong? You can tell me?"

Lune smiled at his caring friend while Peter clenched his fist behind his back, couldn't Ama get her pleasantries over with.

"I am happy to see you Ama, but this friend of yours demands a lot of me."

"Why? What does he say?" Peter was getting annoyed he did not like being treated as a side object in their conversation.

"He wants us to gather troops but the end of the month."

"But you've got almost three weeks to do that! Where's the problem, don't worry we'll help you." Ama said comfortingly.

"Can we arrive no later?" Lune said looking at Peter now.

"I am afraid that we agreed with my siblings and Eril, Ama's father here, that we would meet at the beginning of the month. I won't let them down."

"The night of the battle would be a full moon." Lune muttered to himself as he walked out looking troubled, but still smiling at Ama and nodding at Peter he excused himself from the tent.

"I don't see the problem in that." Peter said, looking at Ama for guidance in this matter.

"I have known Lune since, well, forever and he has never acted like that." Ama said, obvious concern on her face.

"Never been that rude?" Peter said, slight jealousy creeping through his veins as he saw how Ama looked after where Lune had disappeared to.

"No, he's always been cheeky" She said smiling to herself. "He seemed worried and I'm concerned. I'll go and talk to him." She said leaving the tent. Peter tried to cal her back but she briskly walked off and it did not take her long to find Lune.

He was sitting down by the frozen stream and throwing pebbles at the ice attempting to break it. Ama walked slowly towards him, the snow crunching loudly beneath her furry shoes, but her walking did not disturb Lune, he just kept throwing pebbles.

"Lune?" Ama whispered, barely audible to herself.

"Yes." He replied "What do you want?"

"Will you look at me?" She asked quietly, and he did as she asked. She looked at his face, it had changed so much. When she had known him before he had been so kind to her, they had been the best of friends, sharing all their secrets, she had even fancied him a bit back then. She remembered him as he was then, and she had just imagined he would be a bit taller. But no, he was a broad man now, and far taller than she had imagined, his voice deeper, somehow she had still imagined him with his fourteen year old voice. He still had his full head of hair, now much longer than it had been. He looked a bit like a shaggy dog under what he had always called fondly his 'mass of brown wires'. She knew he had been in many skirmishes but those cuts and scars on his face were horrendous, he looked rather like he had been in ten thousand battles. But what shocked and scared her the most were his eyes. Where before there had been deep, understanding, comforting brown eyes were now black and yellow orbs which could only resemble that of a wolf.

"You've changed so much."She managed to stutter out.

"You have become a beautiful woman, Ama. I was overjoyed when I heard you were coming back, but I somehow imagined you still as the girl I had left over six years ago in that clearing in the forest." Ama blushed slightly at the comment.

"Still the charmer, still know what to say. I wish I was like you and had that skill, to know what to do and say at the right time." She replied smiling.

"I wouldn't wish to be me?"

"Why not?" Ama said drawing closer.

"Why not? Why not?" Lune said raising his voice slightly. "So you wish to have scars all over your face and horrible yellow eyes that frighten children away at the sight? You would wish not to be human?"

"What do you mean Lune?" Ama said holding his arm. "You are human, and it doesn't matter what you are like on the outside, it's what's inside that counts."

"Oh Ama, you never wondered why they kept us apart? You never wondered why we were not allowed to see each other." Lune said his face scrunching up into a distortion of sadness.

"I was told you were very ill, but no more. I prayed to Aslan every night in hope that you would get better. Is that not the truth, Lune? You look at me as if I'm lying."

"Ama, have you not guessed? I was very ill, for several years and had to be secluded from the world because I was 'ill', it is the same reason why I cannot go to battle on the full moon."

"I don't understand you Lune, I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

"How much clearer can I make it? Do you know how my father was killed?"

"He was attacked, and died protecting you, much like my mother and myself."

"Yes, but it was too late. Sit Ama, this will come as a shock to you." Lune guided her over to a frozen log and they both sat down. "The night my father was killed I was with him, and yes he died protecting me. I'll start from the beginning, well, when I was just a babe in arms my parents, who were rather superstitious as you know took me to a soothsayer and the soothsayer told them that in my future there would be some great darkness, he wasn't very specific, and that this darkness would plague me for the rest of my life but that it was not all without hope, because there was the light who would apparently rescue me, a woman he said, who would banish the darkness with the love that she would give to me. Apart from that the soothsayer insisted I was to be called Lune. My parents were happy with this and did not worry themselves about this 'darkness'.

"The night my father died we went out into the woods of Archenland where my father always taught me how to use swords, of course at that point they were only wooden things, and we had no other weapons apart from the wooden swords. We were fighting, and I was tiring pretty quickly when suddenly out of the shadows came a werewolf. My father fought it bravely with nothing much but a wooden sword while I ran away. I ran for what seemed an eternity, but I heard my father screaming out in pain, I had to go back, I had no other option. When I found him the werewolf was feasting on his flesh, he was dead. The werewolf saw me, but I could not move. It was like a nightmare. My feet did not obey me. I remember the feeling of his jaws clamping around my arm, but then all went black.

"I was told later that several men, upon hearing my father's shouts came rushing to help and chased the werewolf away from me. It was too late for my father but the men tried all solutions in attempt to cure me of the bite. Nothing worked and I lay in fever for months, and now every full moon I change, into a werewolf. Mind you not everything is bad; I have supernatural hearing and smell – I am the perfect tracker and spy. I am like a dog. The darkness has settled upon me, and I constantly look for this woman of the light, maybe I have already found her." Lune looked up at Ama who looked straight back into his yellow werewolf eyes. She brought his head slowly toward hers and lightly kissed his forehead.

"I am afraid I cannot love you in the way that you want me to, you must look elsewhere for your 'light'. I hope we will remain friends Lune and this changes nothing between us, nothing you hear me. We will still be the best of friends as we once were, and if you ever need my help please, just ask."

"Thank you Ama." He said, a sad smile crossing his face "We should go back." They left the frozen stream and walked back to the camp hand in hand laughing at smiling at each other.


	19. Prolicide

Okay, I'm actually rather unsatisfied with this chapter, it didn't quite put across the feeling I wanted it too. When you've read it, tell me what you think, please. Also next chap is also Lucy and Susan.

TheEveningStars

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><p>Chapter 19 - Prolicide<p>

Lucy and Susan

Tears were threatening to run down Lucy's face as she said goodbye to the lady who had given them such a comfortable bed to lie on for the night. Lucy was getting too emotional for her own good. The villagers had all been so kind, loading them with more gifts than they could carry; even Nutchit, a mouse, had been adored by the locals.

Their clothes had been exchanged and now they looked like good ol' Calormenes taking a leisurely stroll in the desert, as Calormenes of course do every once in a while. The locals had told them the best way to go, a route where they would pass by a few wells, and an oasis. Their journey was full with water-stops, a very useful thing both Nutchit and Dydeen pointed out.

They walked slowly, leisurely almost. Finding troops could wait for the time being, they were enjoying the warmth of the surfacing sun, Dydeen ran ahead, full of energy only a child could have. Running through the sand was hard and Dydeen soon fell over, exhausted and burst out laughing. She extended her arms and legs and moved them through the sand, creating a sand eagle – as she called it, or as it was known back in England as a sand angel. They laughed and ran through the sand, no heavy loads of worry upon their minds. They were free and happy.

"Your highnesses, I see somebody approaching on the distant horizon." Nutchit said, disrupting a sand fight between Lucy and Dydeen. All of them turned around to look at several approaching figures and Lucy's hand instinctively went to her dagger at her side. "We are downwind of them and they seem to, they seem to smell of..." Nutchit sniffed the air and pondered "they seem to smell of cats." He finally decided.

"Don't cats eat mice?" Dydeen asked to nobody in particular.

"They are large cats, so a mouse is barely a meal to them." Lucy quickly replied, eager not only to reassure her friend but herself that Nutchit was in no danger.

"And anyway," Nutchit interjected "I am more than capable of defending myself."

"Do you think that those are that group of cats we were supposed to be looking for – to join us?" Lucy said, her innocent voice ringing out in the still overpowering air of the desert.

"The irony," Susan huffed "those, whom we were looking for, found us."

"Well at least it solves the problem of looking for them for much longer." Dydeen added, attempting her very best to add some sort of useful remark to the conversation.

Within a few seconds a lioness and a cheetah, accompanied by a few other large cats, stopped before the two queens and their companions and the cats give a rather overly deep bow.

"Yourrr majesties" said the lioness, rolling her 'r's like all cats did "But a shorrrt month ago we rrrecieved a letterrr frrrom His Lorrrdship Errril saying that we werrre to expect you. One of ourrr scouts saw you wonderrring out in the deserrrt so ourrr small grrroup came out to grrreet you."

"That is most kind of you..."

"Sada, Yourrr Highness." The lioness replied

"Therrre arrre many of us who await yourrr orrrderrrs, yourrr majesties." The cheetah added "We shall go to warrr as soon as you orrrderrrr us to. Ourrr trrroops arrre rrratherrr excited!"

"War is not something to be excited about," Susan suddenly added, making the air grow seemingly colder "None should have to experience it, but sometimes we must."

"However, dear friends," Lucy said smiling, desperately trying to bring the conversation out of the gloom that Susan had brought it into. "I am afraid this is all our meeting will be, for time is truly of the essence. We would love to go to your camp and see the troops but we must be off to collect yet more soldiers if we are to win this battle. I'm afraid you must forgive us."

"Indeed milady," Sada purred "I fearrred that this trrrip would not be one of pleasurrre forrr you, but afterrr this warrr is overrr I sincerrrely hope that you will visit this arrrea for it is trrruly beautiful, and I hope that I may have the pleasurrre of escorrrting you."

"Sada, you understand my mission so very well, I am so grateful to you, thank you."

"We arrre both verrry sorry that yourrr visit must be so shorrrt." The cheetah said "We knew it would be shorrrt, but not this shorrrt."

"I am afraid there are sacrifices we all must make but we hope to return here soon." Lucy ended and waved her farewells to the cats who departed as swiftly as they had arrived.

"I see there's no time for dawdling." Nutchit said, not quite understanding how the two queens could find time for throwing sand at each other yet rushed this surely rather important meeting with one of their future soldiers. "Off to Tashbaan we go!" He said quite enthusiastically.

They marched off into the glaring sun singing old songs from the golden age, Susan's high soprano voice ringing sweetly over the dunes, like a nightingale in spring. More beautiful than any other bird, sweeter, softer, her voice was that of a bird that sings when the sun has set and moon has risen. With her song the most emotional passion and the most terrible pain could be expressed. With her singing the sun's piercing rays seemed gentler, the wind more benign, and they could almost swear that they were in a garden similar to that of Eden, they swore they could hear the welling water whisper, they swore that they could feel the gentle light of the stars shine down upon them, they swore that all the colours in that harsh land seemed stronger. Like a nightingale did Susan's voice ring out in the dry desert air, so softly dark and darkly pure.

Lucy accompanied her sister with a lower voice, that of an alto. A thrush compared to the nightingale. Sweet but not soft, rich but not pure. Lucy remembered how in her childhood when guests would come around, her mother would ask Susan to sing and Lucy would desperately try to join in, yet her mother would touch Lucy's lips, urging her to be silent. But her mother was not there now and Lucy accompanied her sister in song.

The sound of horse hooves on the burning sand disrupted their song. They stopped and squinted at the five men riding on muscled stallions, who quickly and effectively drew up a close circle around the four travellers, however one of the horsemen held back slightly and put his hand to his hilt.

"Who are you?" Lucy questioned bravely, assuming these men to be hostile. "What do you want?"

"_Queen_ Susan and _Queen _Lucy," One of the men said sneeringly "News travels fast and we demand that if you wish to leave this desert alive you order an immediate surrender of your troops."

"Never!" Lucy said without hesitation. "You must not think very highly of us if you ever thought that we would accept such an offer!"

"We meant what we said," The soldier continued snarling at them "You will not leave here alive!"

Without a moment's delay Lucy withdrew her dagger from its sheath and threw it at the soldier's neck. The soldier seemed astonished and grabbed hold of his wound. He attempted to speak but nothing came except gurgling blood. The man fell dead to the ground.

The other men watched in horror as their fellow comrade fell off his horse and died withering on the ground, the sand around him turning crimson with blood. Lucy hurried towards the man and withdrew her dagger, turning to face the others she said;

"Look at what befell your comrade. I am not bloodthirsty, and I would much prefer this if we did not fight. Give us your horses and we will spare your lives."

But the men did not reply, one of the men docked an arrow to his bow and shot it at Lucy, it should have hit but Lucy was thankful to all that training her brothers had given her and sidestepped it. She threw her dagger at the man who only narrowly missed it. Nutchit jumped up onto one of the horses and began to maul the rider with his tiny sword.

"Stay behind me!" Susan shouted to Dydeen who quickly obeyed her, having seen nothing more harmful in her life than a cooking knife.

Susan drew her bow out and began to pull her arrows out. She shot one of the men, who only screamed in pain, however this arrow not harming him seriously, angered him and he attempted to cut down Nutchit who was fighting near to him. Susan shot again and this time the man fell off his horse and she walked over to him so as to finish him off, Dydeen treading in her footsteps.

Nutchit was fighting gallantly against one of the largest soldiers. He had just managed to cut off the man's beard and was aiming desperately to skewer one of the man's eyes. Lucy had managed to dismount one of the soldiers who was now trying to hack her apart with his broad sword. Only her agility and strong dagger saved her life. Lucy delivered a quick cut to the hand the man who dropped his sword and instinctively grasped hold of the wound while Lucy swiftly ended his life, spilling his guts onto the red-hot sand.

She turned around looking for her next opponent, there had been only five soldiers and she had already killed two sending them off swiftly to whatever god they worshiped, Tash or Aslan. She spied her next opponent. He looked powerful, with his lighter skin and Roman nose. He did not have the usual beard of the Calormens, but Lucy saw how once he could have been quite handsome. But he was not looking for someone to fight, he had already found someone. His bow was drawn and the arrow was going to hit Susan who was finishing off a different soldier. Lucy could not stop the man in time so she screamed out;

"Susan! Look out!"

But Susan did not hear Lucy over the cries of the man that she was killing, but Dydeen did and she turned towards the man. A look of shock washed over her face as she slowly walked towards the man that she had so often dreamt about. She had his picture in her breast pocket, a picture of her mother and father, a picture of the man in front of her.

"Father." She whispered, disbelievingly.

The arrow was released from the soldier's bow and hit Dydeen straight in the heart, releasing a deafening cry of pain from its victim. Susan turned to the man who had just wounded the small girl, and she gasped when she saw his features. It did not take her a moment to realise who he was.

"Stop!" Susan shouted above the roar of Nutchit and a soldier fighting, Nutchit quickly jumped up to his opponent's neck and put his sword there, so as to hold him at a death-point position, but not actually killing him. The other remaining soldier who had shot Dydeen looked at Susan with a puzzled gaze. "Enough blood has been shed, Ilsombreh Kidrash." Susan spat out.

The man seated upon his horse looked at Susan puzzled. "How do you know my name?"He asked.

But Susan ignored him and rushed over to Dydeen. Slowly she pulled out the arrow from her breast and laid it on the sand. She stroked the young girl's hair and slowly tears began to form in Susan's eyes.

"This is so wrong, oh God. This should never have happened, not like this." Susan's tears fell like waterfalls onto Dydeen's pained face.

"Su," Lucy asked not yet putting her dagger away "What are you going on about? How did you know that man's name?" But Susan ignored Lucy's questions.

"Ilsombreh, meet your daughter Dydeen." Susan said between clenched teeth "Look at her eyes, they're like her mother's aren't they." The man dismounted and looked into the eyes of the child and suddenly fell to his knees in utter shock "Look at the blood running from her breast. Look, your daughter is dying. You killed her!"

The man now kneeled down and looked into Dydeen's eyes, which smiled back at him.

"By Tash," He cursed "How, why did nobody tell me I had a daughter?"

"Her mother wanted to protect your position at court." Susan shouted with anger at him, angry that Dydeen was dying, angry that Lucy did not have her cordial, angry with life. "She did not tell you because she loved you."

"I could have protected her though!" Ilsombreh said scooping Dydeen into his arms. "Dydeen, named after your dear and beautiful mother, will you ever forgive me?" Dydeen raised her hand to his face and stroked his clean-shaven cheek.

"Father," she whispered, her body heaving with the effort "How long I have wanted to say those words. I often dreamt about us meeting you know. I often dreamt how you would take me home and everything would be happy." The young girl smiled up at her father who in turn only sprouted tears "But I suppose that won't be the case."

"Dydeen, I'll take you to Tashbaan, they'll heal you there, and then... and then you'll live with me, like in a fairytale. I have a garden; you would like that wouldn't you, and ... and I have some dogs, your mother always loved dogs. Just hang on in there, I'll take you home." His tears were falling uncontrollably onto Dydeen's face as he wept for all the lies he was telling. He knew that he would never take her home. He knew that she would never see his garden that he had so carefully grown nor would she see his dogs, he knew she was going to die here in this barren land, killed by her own father.

"Don't cry father." Dydeen whispered, far more collected than Ilsombreh "I am happy, I met you and I will die in your arms. I ...go to ...my mother..." Dydeen's head lolled back and Ilsombreh clutched the dead body to his chest, shaking with each sob.

Susan looked at the two and her tears fell onto the dry desert sand, she felt her sister's arm wrap around her and lean her head on Susan's shoulder.

"She died happily," Lucy gravely said "She met her father."

"But how can I ever forgive myself?" Ilsombreh said through eyes clouded by tears. "I cannot go back to Tashbaan, not now. How can I go back to my wife and children when her body lies still and cold in the warm earth here? I would rather die."

"Then repent." Lucy said seeing her chance "Go with us to battle and you will be forgiven. Gather troops, we will move out soon."

"I foresee that I will die in a faraway land, but that doesn't matter to me. I foresee that I will soon join my true wife and my daughter. I will do as you command; I will meet you at the oasis in two days time. I will gather men and together we will ride to war." Ilsombreh said putting down his daughter. "She should be buried in a fine tomb, yet if she is anything like he mother she would have preferred to be buried in the desert sand."

Without another word said Ilsombreh began to dig, Susan and Lucy helped him and even Nutchit released the soldier he had been fighting so that he could also help dig Dydeen's grave. With four, the job was soon finished and Ilsombreh placed his daughter into the ground, placing her treasured pictures open on top of her. He insisted that he alone would put the sand on top of her and he worked in the heat of the sun for what seemed an eternity.

Ilsombreh set off not uttering a word, but his look was enough. His guilt and sorrow ran through his body like blood, Susan and Lucy saw a man whose only desire left in this world was to die.

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><p>Sad? Any tears in your eyes? How did I do? Please tell me, please, s'il vous plait, mesedez, bitte, molim, prosim, bedes, alstublieft, palun, ole hyva, por favor, kerem, vinsamlegast, le do thoil, per favore, placet, ludzu, prasom, sila, vennligst, prosze, va rog, пожалуйста, vanligen, os gwelwch yn dda.<p>

Multi lingual talents, No?

Anyway you get the idea, please review.


	20. Old War Veterans

Yes I know, haven't update in long time. But here it comes, a short chapter for my lovely readers. And I'm sorry its so short. Will try to update another one soon.

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><p>Chapter 20 – Old War Veterans<p>

Susan and Lucy

Long after Ilsombreh and his companion had left Lucy, Susan and Nutchit stayed by Dydeen's grave. Lucy had always been so calm around the wounded, she knew her cordial could heal anything, and when she had first seen the arrow inlaid in Dydeen's breast she had neither panicked nor worried. She had thought that her cordial could save the young girl. She remembered feeling her belt for where she kept her cordial, she remembered feeling its absence, she remembered being told that it was lost in one of the eastern Islands. She had remembered seeing Dydeen's life slipping away and not being able to do anything about it.

Unlike Lucy's quiet mourning, Susan spilled out her heart in a never-ending cascade of tears. She continually mumbled words about how this should never have happened, how nobody should be killed by their father, how she was too young to die. She blamed herself for not having seen Ilsombreh earlier and seeing that he was Dydeen's father, she could have stopped the murder she said.

Nutchit had put down his sword for the time being and sat cross-legged in front of his best friend's tomb. He never admitted it later but he cried for a long time afterwards. He always thought that he should have kept an eye on that reckless girl. He should have protected the girl who had called him a rat and 'thrown him away' at first sight. He cried for the girl that he had learnt to love.

But the sun began to set and the wind picked up and howled around the mound of sand under which Dydeen had been laid. The four of them knew they were unlikely to return and that in time Dydeen's grave would be lost, nobody would know where it was. They said their final goodbye's and left for the oasis where they were due to meet Ilsombreh and any men that he would bring, the group of cats were also supposed to be there.

Very few words were spoken and the marched in the golden sand for several hours before stopping for the night. The tent was set up, but before Susan resigned herself to sleep she stood outside in the desert sand gazing up at the moon and the stars while having a quick smoke.

"You coming?" Lucy asked, checking what her sister was doing.

"Just a sec." Susan replied not intending at all to come soon. Lucy, knowing her sister all too well stepped outside the tent and stood beside her shivering in the cool desert wind.

"You alright after today's events?" Lucy asked, knowing her sister was easily affected by death.

"I'm shocked and I'm sad, sad beyond words." Susan said taking a deep intake of smoke "I suppose we all have to die at some point, but I just didn't expect it."

"None of us did." Lucy replied "She was too young to die, but there's no point in dwelling over the past. There's a war up ahead of us, and we have to put all of our efforts into that, and then we can mourn for Dydeen."

"I suppose." Susan said dropping the cigarette onto the sand and stubbing it out with her foot. "But it does seem rather cold-hearted."

"Perhaps. But war sometimes calls for a certain lack of feeling." Lucy said, her eyes vacant.

"You sound terribly old Lucy, like some old war veteran." Susan said attempting a smile.

"Sometimes I feel like one." Lucy said, returning to the tent. "Shall we retire?"

Susan began to follow Lucy into the tent but just before looked back in the direction of where Dydeen had been buried and wiped away one last tear.

"Yourrr Highnesses! We werrre not expecting you back so soon" said the lioness who had come to tell them of its allegiance earlier "We arrre so glad you have come back, perhaps I will have the honourr of showing you arrround the desert, it is verrry beautiful."

"We would love that," Lucy replied, having recovered slightly better from Dydeen's death than her other two companions "But I am afraid that our time is limited here. We are expecting more troops to arrive here tomorrow and we have more than enough to do before then."

"Of courrrse." The lioness purred, taking her exit bowing all the way.

The day passed quickly and the three of them were fitted for armour, Lucy sharpened her dagger and collected several more – just in case, Susan set about making many more arrows for the upcoming battle and Nutchit practiced his sword skills.

Night came and went, sleep was caught briefly. The dawn came and the three woke up to the gallop of horses' hooves and the shouting of men. Dressing faster than they ever had before, they rushed out their tent and stared at the distant cloud of dust approaching them quickly.

Susan could just make out Ilsombreh riding in the distance from all the other men mounted on horses. He had certainly collected a fair amount, Susan had prayed that the Tisroc had not found out, she hoped they would not have to deal with an onslaught before the battle, they would lose more than enough men in the battle, she hoped that they would lose none before. The men pulled up their horses at the camp and Ilsombreh immediately dismounted and walked over stately to Lucy and Susan.

"Tash's Peace be upon you." Ilsombreh saying the proper Calormene greeting before carrying on "These are my men who have sworn their allegiance to your highnesses; if they disobey they will be punished by Tash for eternity."

"We are thankful to you, Ilsombreh Kidrash" Lucy said, looking at the large group of men behind Ilsombreh, their seemed to be an adequate amount, she just hoped they wouldn't turn against Narnia at the last minute. "You must be thirsty, come to our tent and we will explain our tactics to you." She said leading him into their tent which had been made lavish by the cats. "Nutchit will you run off and find Sada, the lioness please."

"Of course, Queen Lucy." Nutchit said scampering off.

The three humans walked into the tent and Lucy and Ilsombreh sat down while Susan poured him some wine. Handing it to him she sat down, he still bore the scars of sorrow on his face, she supposed that he would never forgive himself for what he had done. Ilsombreh took a long draught from his goblet and began

"Most of the men are archers, recently the archers were sent off on a mission by the Tisroc, it was badly planned and many died. The Tisroc had known the mission would fail and so the archers disliked him, he had killed their friends. They are underpaid and do not generally receive the honour after battle that the infantry and cavalry do. Their allegiance quickly changed and they were more than eager to join you."

"That is great news." Lucy said smiling at Ilsombreh who looked slightly worried.

"Yes, but that is not all" He continued sipping his wine "There is one man, Mahaid, he is a magician. He was the Tisroc's personal magician and almost an advisor. I do not know how he heard of my gathering, and by Tash I hope he was the only one who did."

"Do you suspect him of being a spy?" Susan asked, dearly hoping he wasn't.

"I don't know. He asked me personally if he could come, he was a magician, I couldn't really say no."

"Understandably." Lucy nodded in agreement.

"He promises that he will help us," Ilsombreh muttered, showing his disbelief "I swore him to it. But magicians are strange creatures; he may have set a spell so that he could break the oath without being cursed."

'It's so strange being in a world where people truly believed in oaths, were they actually believed that if they broke it they would be cursed.' Susan thought to herself.

"We must be on our guard around him." Lucy affirmed firmly "We cannot fully trust him but we mustn't act differently towards him."

At this moment Nutchit walked in with Saba the great lioness, and Ilsombreh told her about his news. She had of course heard about what had happened between him and Dydeen and sympathised greatly.

They agreed that this magician was not to be trusted; but they could not dispose of him as he would be extremely useful in battle.

The horns were blasting, the men were preparing and mounting their horses, the great cats were stretching their paws readying their selves for the travel up north. They had planned their route carefully and Susan and Lucy mounted two horses which had just been brought to them, they were naturally but dumb beasts as most horses in Calormen are.

Nutchit scrambled onto Lucy's shoulder and looked around at the army they had gathered.

"Sorugyn will find it hard to beat us in numbers." He shouted over the noise "Our chances don't look so bad."

"Touchwood." Lucy replied, touching a wooden part of her saddle. The young queen turned to the men on horses, and looked at their dark Calormene skin and their thick black hair and beards, she looked at their pointed shoes, many had turbans and all wore flowing robes underneath their carefully crafted armour. She looked at the cats; all eyes upon her there were many varieties, many which even she could not name. She looked at her army. She had never ridden to Calormen to collect an army, but as she said 'There is always a first time.'

"My friends" She said over the noise, everybody turned to look at her and all fell silent, only the rustling wind could be heard. "Today we ride to Narnia, to our friends and family. We ride to their aid to save them from the cruel hand of Sorugyn. I do not promise it will be easy, I do not promise it will be fun, it will not be something you will remember as a pleasant experience." Lucy paused to take a breath, all eyes were fixated on her.

"But, after this war, imagine the joy as this land will be freed from Sorugyn's cruel hand. We will fight Sorugyn, he must not go unpunished for so long. We go now to war, we go now to meet our faith, but remember this both Aslan and Tash are with us, every step of the way. Let us fight for Aslan! Let us fight for Tash! Let us fight for harmony between Narnia and Calormen! Fight for your families! Fight for your friends! Fight for freedom!" Lucy shouted raising her fist up into the air "Let us fight for Dydeen." She muttered under her breath as she galloped up into the north.

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><p>Reviews anyone?<p> 


	21. Between Worlds

Well, back to dear old Edmund we go. A rather weird chapter, I don't know where I got inspiration from, but please whatever you think, good or bad, review.

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><p>Chapter 21 – Between Worlds<p>

Edmund

It had been an unexpected escape, it was lucky to have escaped from Allem so quickly. But that whole day had confused Edmund greatly, he almost like the hopeless character that all books have, the one who has no control over his own destiny, the who is pushed around like a small boat in a storm. The biggest surprise for him had been Acontia's marriage. She was _Sorugyn's wife_! He was travelling with Sorugyn's wife!

But now they were being chased, but somehow that did not bear great priority in his mind at that current moment in time. Now anger was rushing through his blood, anger about how he had not been told by Acontia earlier about her marriage. His whole life seemed to be far away from him, with himself just a spectator at the edge, watching hopelessly as his life unfolded in front of him.

Acontia was like the river she had sat by and wetted her hand in as she had told him of her marriage, of her brother's death, of her long misery. Nobody could trust water for even the straightest stick turns crooked in it. He looked at her riding beside him, tears fresh on her face. She was looking straight ahead as her horse, Waen, galloped on, like a black arrow in the forest.

Leuad was panting along next to Firth, both of them darting as fast as they could through the trees. Edmund shot a look back and saw seven men on horses running faster, than seemed possible, after them.

"They're catching up, Sir!" Leuad barked up at Edmund "I'll try to hold them back."

Leuad slowed down at saying this and Edmund saw the valiant white wolf jump up at one of the horses and ripping its neck, spurting crimson blood onto the floor of leaves.

"Leuad! No!" Edmund shouted, bringing Firth to a halt. The wolf was pitifully outnumbered, and would die within seconds. Edmund brought out his bow, strung it and put an arrow to the string. The arrow hit true and sliced the man's throat, a swift trail of blood gushed out. The remaining six men turned to look at Edmund who had halted and now was looking at them. One of them drew his sword and stabbed Leuad in the chest.

Edmund barely had time to react as a shower of arrows cascaded down on him. He brushed them away with his sword, but Firth needed no hint to run on. His grief felt so much like fear as Edmund looked at Leuad lying on the carpet on pine needles and decaying leaves. Half the men had their bows strung and ready and the others had drawn their swords. Edmund turned away from them and put his face into Firth's chestnut mane as he galloped on.

"Why must so many die for me?" Edmund muttered "I wish none of this had happened."

"There is no use wishing, my Lord." Firth replied between pants "You cannot control who or when somebody dies for you, nobody wishes for people to die for them, or at least nobody with a heart like yours, Sir. But, My King, you must use Leuad's gift of life. Mourn him as you must, but let this make you stronger, your cause greater. Use your life wisely, milord."

"You talk like a philosopher." Edmund commented.

Edmund heard the whistling of an arrow and ducked just in time to miss it. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Acontia lift up her bow and fire back. It missed, firing arrows from a galloping horse was not easy, Edmund knew it was pointless to try and he guided Firth over to the speeding Waen.

"Don't waste your arrows." He shouted over the clatter of galloping hooves. "Can you not stop those men by some sort of magic?"

"Not without getting off Waen." Acontia said looking back at the men "They are gaining on us; their horses are fuelled by some other force?"

"Magic?" Edmund supplied.

"Possibly, not unlikely."

A winding road up a steep cliff face quickly approached the four of them to the right, while the forest continued to the left and slowly a plan began to form in Edmund's head.

_Go right! _He shouted telepathically to Acontia.

She veered Waen right and ran up the road, while he remained in the forest. This would divide the men up and give them a better chance of defeating them. How they would find each other later, he did not know.

Acontia continued up the path as Edmund had instructed her. As a star in the heavens she had watched his rule and approved of it. She had admired him, how he had turned from wrong to right. He was kind, intelligent, cautious, funny and extremely just. He had treated her fairly, not judging her nor condemning her to the low status of a traitor. She had now told him everything about her, how she was married, how she killed her brother and how she also was a traitor. But Acontia desired nothing else but to redeem herself.

She looked far down into the forest and with her sharp eyesight spotted Edmund and Firth galloping away from their pursuers. None had followed her; Edmund seemed their prime goal, why though she could not fathom. She brought Waen to a halt.

"I cannot shoot his pursuers, the trees shield them." Acontia muttered in frustration "Nor can I run down there to join him, we would never catch up. What do we do Waen?"

"Carry on milady, King Edmund has not been caught yet!" Waen replied galloping once more up the cliff making sure that they could see Edmund and Firth at all times. "We may yet be useful to them."

The men were hot on Edmund's trail, they could almost touch him. Firth whinnied and used what little supply of energy he had and spurred himself that bit faster. The forest was coming to the end, he would be able to run faster, not having to dodge trees. But so would they. Their pursuers had a seemingly endless energy, and Firth knew that he could not keep this pace for much longer.

But he could not let his master down. He must keep on running until his hooves drooped off from exhaustion. The forest ended and the light shone down on them like it did when Narnia was first created, it was so pure and white as if it were coming from Aslan himself.

Their pursuers stopped at the edge of the forest and seemed to hiss as they entered the light. They were not eager to follow now, but even so they would not have to follow far. Just a few yards from the clearing was a cliff edge, this area was notorious for them appearing at any moment.

The six men were hooded and Edmund could not see any of their faces. Each of them drew their swords out and edged their hoses on. In return Edmund drew his own and addressed them.

"What do you want with me?"

"Join us." One of them said pulling back his hood to reveal a battle-worn face and haunted eyes. "We are the guardsmen of Sorugyn, we are personal to him, he knows us each by name, and we are favoured. You are a good swordsman, Sorugyn would find much use for you, and I do not wish to fight you. Join us."

"Yes, join us, Edmund." The others hissed in unison. Edmund laughed at them, but it was forced and somewhat shaky, he was heavily outnumbered and if they were as they were the personal guardsmen of Sorugyn they would be pretty good swordsmen.

"And become a slave to Sorugyn, not on my life."

"Then I am afraid it will be your life." Said the hoodless one who then clicked his fingers as Edmund stared at him in slight confusion. Suddenly, without warning, Firth dropped to the floor and Edmund was thrown off his horse.

Firth's eyes rolled back into his head and his mouth began to froth, and he emitted what could only be called a scream. Edmund crawled over to Firth and put his hand on Firth's neck, hoping that touch might calm this sudden fit. The hoodless man only sneered at Firth's pain.

"Stop it!" Edmund shouted turning his gaze to the laughing men.

"See what power we have. Join us, look at what we can do, you can do it too, if you only join us. It is so very very simple."

Edmund stood up and held up his sword, his normal calm appearance was now gone, he was angry, they had tortured Firth, his faithful friend, they had killed Leuad, his faithful guard. Now they would pay for it. He moved to attach but before his sword even touched the flesh of one of the men his sword shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. The hilt remained in his hands, a bitter reminder of his weakness. He had his bow and arrows but what would it do against these men, they would no doubt break his bow also.

_Jump_

Edmund looked around. He could not see Acontia anywhere but that was definitely her voice he had just heard, like a breeze in his ears. He looked behind him and slowly walked backwards towards the edge of the cliff. The hoodless one edged his horse forward, and swiped his sword towards Edmund. He missed as Edmund just jumped backwards to miss it. Edmund felt his feet touch the edge of the cliff; he felt it crumble and smiled as he began to fall back over the cliff.

The hoodless man looked in disbelief and quicker than lightning he struck Edmund in the chest. His clothing tore and blood spilled, as Edmund screamed in pain he floated gently down.

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><p>A grey curtain rolled back and a blinding white light seemed to pierce Edmund's eyes. He was lying down on the softest thing that he had ever lain on, a soft sound filled his ears, and the sweetest smell floated past his nose. If Edmund was ever asked to describe that place afterwards, he would say that there were no words so beautiful that would be worthy of doing so.<p>

Edmund sat up and looked around. He seemed to be on some sort of island, where the sand was purely white. This island seemed to stretch forever except just before him there was the sea, grey compared to the whiteness of the sand. But this sea did not lap and fold over the beach as it normally does, it was perfectly still.

Behind there was a wall, it was shining a pleasant light that did not blind his eyes but it was so bright that he could not look directly at it. From that wall a shape seemed to form. It was a woman who shone like a ray of moonlight on the darkest night. As she walked closer to him he saw her better. She was young and tall, dressed in white and silver, with a net of silver crowning her hair that fell straight down like a fall of black water.

She smiled at him and gave him her hand to help him get up, he accepted and stood up. Attempting to speak, he found that he could make no noise that would destroy the sound that was drifting around this world.

'_Acontia' _He managed to say in his mind.

She only smiled and nodded as he recognised her.

'_Where are we?' _He asked her.

The smile was swept off her face and she looked towards the wall.

'_Beyond that wall, is Aslan's country, beyond the sea is Narnia.'_

Edmund looked at her in confusion. _ 'Am I dead?' _He asked.

'_No, not until you step into Aslan's country.'_

'_I have a choice?' _Edmund questioned to Acontia _'Does everyone?'_

'_No' _She said simply. _'But you do not have to die.'_

'_Well then,' _Edmund said decisively _'I don't want to die just yet, so how do I get back?'_

'_You must cross the sea.' _Sadness lingered in her voice and Edmund did not fail to notice it.

'_Can you not come?' _Edmund asked taking her hand in his and turning her to look at him. When he had first looked upon her, he had thought her young, but now he saw that she was neither young nor old, she seemed outside time itself, the light of stars were in her bright eyes, yet queenly she looked and thought and knowledge were in her glance, as of one who has known many things that the years have brought.

'_I do not belong in Narnia.' _She sighed _'But you, Edmund, belong there. When you were stabbed you should have entered Aslan's world.'_

'_But I did not. Why?' _Edmund asked

'_T__his much I know, your task in Narnia has not yet been completed, Narnia needs you still, and so you did not enter Aslan's world. As a star I am honoured with the duty to guide souls from Narnia to Aslan's world, but I did not guide you there, for as of yet I do not believe that you belong there. If you choose to go there of your own free will I cannot stop you. But instead of letting you go to Aslan's world, with all my power I managed to bring you here, to a place between life and death, to a place unaffected by time. It is a place of stars, of beauty and of light. I cannot leave this place unless you cross the sea or enter Aslan's world.'_

'_Then come,' _Edmund said walking towards the sea_ 'we shall go back together.'_

However Acontia did not follow him as he stepped into the sea. The water was neither cold nor warm and did not move as Edmund began to walk through it, it got not deeper and never went higher than knees.

'_Will you not come with me Acontia?' _Edmund asked.

'_If you were to walk further down this sandbar you would find Aslan, this is where I sent him. Only he is strong enough to stay here between worlds, all others will die here, you would die, I am dying, already my light is fading. The star of Earudien will dim and die, I will diminish. Return Edmund, return to Narnia, and leave me here, forget me. I cannot return with you. I grant you the power to return, and keep none for myself.'_

'_Is there no way you can return? Is there no way I can bring you back?'_

'_If you want to Edmund, you can. You will figure it out Edmund, you will find a way.' _Acontia said. Edmund turned around and began to walk away from that strange island, he looked back one last time and as he did she dropped to the ground and the light that always seemed to shine from within her dimmed and diminished.

'_Acontia!' _Edmund shouted and ran back towards her, but he could not now step onto the sand but stood forever in the water. He did not know what to do, he could not go back to her, he had to go and so he turned around tears in his eyes for the fallen Acontia and walked away from the Island. As he walked further and further it became darker and darker until darkness completely enveloped him.

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><p>Yes, I did use quotes from various books, but always changed them slightly. Hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Please please please review.<p> 


	22. Fate

A bit of Peter/Ama fluff bonding, hope you all enjoy.

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><p>Chapter 22 – Fate<p>

Peter

Anduan had allowed Peter to ride him, which was a big step. Peter had only once before been allowed to ride a unicorn. Naturally a unicorn didn't need any bridle or harness, and Peter was feeling a bit unsteady about all of this. He hadn't ridden a horse in a long time, let alone bareback on a unicorn, which was far larger than a horse. Anduan had promised to serve the High King for the battle and then Peter would naturally release him from service. Peter dreaded the upcoming battle; he hoped they were prepared for it. Lune promised him many troops and he hoped he would get them, without them hope was lost.

Peter entered the stables and lacking anything to do he asked the horse in charge of the stables if there were any minor jobs he could complete. The horse quickly assigned him to cleaning the shoes of one of his friends, and Peter started. Bering somebody opening the stable doors he quickly looked up at who it was, Ama's sparkling white hair seemed to reflect what little light there was in these damp stables, Peter tensed and became ever more vigorously enticed in his task.

"Oh, hullo there Peter. I was looking for you."

"Oh, were you?" Peter said not looking up at her, he let his hair fall past his eyes so that he couldn't look at her.

"Is something wrong Peter? You are not your normal cheerful self." Ama said walking around the horse so that she was standing next to him.

Peter wanted to answer that something was bloody well wrong with him. He was madly in love with her and she didn't even seem to notice. He heard about love being a plague, but had not believed anybody, but now he saw how it afflicted him. He put the horse's hoof back down on the ground and facing Ama he began to speak.

"I hope that you and Lune will make a happy couple."

Ama's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion "What on earth are you talking about?"

"Well, you two were making goggle eyes at each other yesterday and were kissing and were laughing and smiling in each other presence; well I guessed you were in a relationship."

"Peter, are you stupid, or what? I am most certainly not in love with Lune!"

"It's stupid to try and hide it from me, but I promise I won't tell anybody if you don't want me to."

"Peter, Stop!" Ama shouted disrupting Peter from his work "My heart does not belong to Lune, it belongs to another."

"Oh." Peter managed to say still hiding behind his hair.

"Have you been so blind Peter?" Ama said taking his head in her hands, their eyes meeting "Have you not seen that I am in love with you." Peter could stand it no longer and pulled her head to his and the lips locked in a passionate embrace.

Neither of them ever wanted to part as they pulled each other closer and caressed each other's lips with their own. But at that moment Lune came in and the two of them hearing the door creaking open saw him and began blushing so badly they were almost beetroot colour. But Lune only grinned mischievously having caught them.

"Well, what I was going to say was that I would like to move out by midday so if you two could be ready by then that would be great."

Lune left grinning to himself and Peter looked back at Ama and smiled. Holding her hand he pulled her closer to him and once again they locked lips.

The next few days were spent gathering troops and the three of them: Peter, Ama and Lune became the best of friends, laughing and keeping up the troops' spirits all the time and Lune would not stop teasing the two of them about that little encounter in the stables.

In one of the rebel towns that they visited, as an offering the chieftain gave Peter a sword and it did not take a second for Peter to realise what this sword was, it was Rhindon – his beloved broadsword given to him by Father Christmas all that time ago. He had thought that it had been lost, but thank the heavens he was wrong. He could not stop the smiles covering his face.

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><p>"We move out tomorrow." Lune said looking up at the two of them for acceptance. "We will arrive at the battlefield with plenty of time to spare."<p>

"So far things look good." Peter said "We have more troops than we expected, a thing that happens all too rarely in battle. I suppose we will work out the battle plan when we get there."

"Yes." Ama said, clutching Peter's hand to show that she agreed. "Peter and I know the way, we will go with a small division up the front and the rest of the army will follow."

"If you think so, Ama." Lune said looking up from the map, he had seemed to show no sign of jealousy of Ama's relationship with Peter. If he had any feeling for Ama he was hiding it well.

The next morning all was prepared and Peter mounted Anduad, the beautiful magnificent unicorn which was taller than the other horses meaning that Peter could see the rest of his small division. It was a group carefully chosen by Lune to include some of the best fighters in his army and indeed it had been chosen well.

They passed over icy plains and then decided to go by the river in smaller droves, so as to be inconspicuous, yet large enough to protect themselves in an attack. Peter's was the smallest, the scouts. At first Lune was going to lead the way, knowing the country the best and having an acute sense of smell and sound, but eventually they decided it would be more magnificent if they had Peter at the front and Ama insisted that she be with Peter. The 'love birds' as they were called were not to be separated.

Several days later, having cantered across the plains they reached the first signs of forest. The trees were colossal in size, Peter was sure that his army would be almost invisible to anybody looking at them from above.

They stopped then and had a break. The troops were tired and Peter knew it was not good to wear out an army before the battle. He walked around the small division which he had grown to know so well those past few days. He had a special handshake with every soldier and every evening they would sit around the fire and relate scary ghost stories, or funny tales or chronicles of woe. These were his most trusted men. Later after the battle was over, he thought they would be his private division, accompany him everywhere. He did not account how many of them would die before they had the chance.

"Come on men." Peter shouted at them "Time to go." Ama got up behind him and laid a hand on his shoulders. She acted like any man, not caring about mud, weather and rain. She did not care for fancy dresses – she wore the clothes of any man, she did not care for extravagant hairstyles – she just wore her hair back behind her head, Peter was no expert in makeup (in truth he never knew when the girls actually put it on and when they didn't, he saw no difference) but he thought she never wore any. She acted like any of the other soldiers. She was slightly weaker than the others, she was not a swordswoman but a woman of the bow, and so if anything would ever need any carrying she would just give the big eyes at the closest male and they would do anything for her. They were all under her spell.

Everyone was friendly with her, and Peter was not jealous, he knew that they didn't love her in the way that he did. All the men teased and laughed with Ama. Peter smiled at her and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"We should be getting a move on." He said as he mounted Anduad.

"One can think a lot when riding. It really eases the brain." Ama said looking distant.

"And what have you been thinking about, darling?" Peter asked spurring Anduad on.

"I can't wait to be back at the Cair, and have a nice relaxing bath, and eat some lavish food after a well-earned day of work. "

"And here I was," Peter began to laugh "Thinking how well everything was going, and how you weren't complaining about the travelling."

"But, come on Peter, even you must admit, that you would like to sleep in a nice warm bed, get up late and have a nice relaxing bath." Ama shouted over the clatter of galloping hooves.

Peter halted his horse and Ama naturally halted hers as well. Smiling at her Peter replied "All those things would be ten thousand times better with you by my side." He said leaning forwards and the two of them kissed not noticing the rest of their division halting, not watching them as the division grew uneasy.

Peter tore himself away from Ama and looked up to see why his men had stopped. They had come to a clearing, on their left a canyon with a river running. In front of him was an impenetrable wall of trees. Peter looked behind from where he had come from and saw another wall of trees. He could not figure out in his mind how they had got through there. It dawned on him – the trees had moved and had left him trapped, caged.

He barely had time to react when centaurs, bears, giants, dwarfs and other creatures all rushed out from the cover of the trees and attacked. His hand swept Rhindon out and he charged straight for a centaur and sliced its head from its body. He saw a spear being thrown at him, but Anduad quickly jumped out the way then charged full speed at an approaching wolf, which was soon trampled death.

Peter did not notice the approaching giant behind him; he was engaged with a wrestling dog. He did not see the giant lift up his club into the air ready to strike. The dog fell dead at his feet as Rhindon pierced its heart and his attention was turned as he heard a great cry of pain. His eyes rested upon the giant who had been about to strike him, but its right arm was limp and the club which had just been raised to strike now rested on the floor.

A small tear of blood fell down his arm, where an arrow stabbed it. An arrow with heron's feathers. Another arrow hit the giant, this time in his leg, but the giant merely pulled it out and turned to look at his assailant. Ama fearlessly put another arrow to her bow and fired, but the giant, now angry, charged full speed at her. Peter helplessly watched as the giant raised his club as Ama tried to urge on her dumb horse who stood rooted to the spot in fear. The horse would not budge and Peter watched as the club lowered on the frozen horse. He heard the bones crunch. He could not see whether they were Ama's or her horse's, but the two of them, with the impact, flew across the battle field and he watched helplessly as Ama's horse landed on the cliff edge, he watched Ama fly of the cliff.

He prayed that he would see her change shape and soar over the ravine. He prayed silently to Aslan that she would find her wings and return unharmed to the battle field and fight by his side, back to back. But he saw no heron flying.

Fired by rage, all sense was lost and Peter charged towards the giant. Grabbing a fallen spear from the ground, and Rhindon in the other and he charged through the giants legs and spearing one, and cutting the other the giant tumbled to the floor where Peter finished it off. The rest of the skirmish continued, yet Peter remembered little about it. Rhindon took a life of its own and fought for Peter while his mind was blank. Many lives were taken, and many good men fell, but Peter did not think of them. His mind wondered elsewhere.

Somewhere in his mind he registered more soldiers coming from the trees, who helped fend off the group which had attacked them. The squeamish was over, and Peter sat there on Anduad, still, lifeless. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look around. Lune was there, his face worried into concern.

"I am sorry I did not come earlier. But the battle is over now. We will bury the men and say all the necessary prayers for them, but we have no time to lose."

When Peter did not reply, Lune looked around at the battlefield. He looked at the dead bodies strewn around, he saw his friends lying on the floor, blood caking their faces. They were not dead, not to him; they lived forever in his mind. He remembered their smiles, their laughter, their jokes. He remembered their sorrows, their tears, their worries. Almost every one of them had a family, people who loved them and cared for them. If Lune had not been mounted on his horse his knees would have buckled, and he would have fallen to ground and lain there with the dead. But he did not, he had to be strong, a role model to his men.

Peter looked at his friend, he saw the tears glimmer in his eyes and he saw his friends spewed across the field. He shouldn't have to add to his sorrow but he must tell him. "Ama's gone. She fell."

Lune slowly turned to look at Peter, confusion on his face "What?"

"She fell of the cliff." Peter said dismounting. He ran towards the cliff and stopped right before the edge. He knelt down and put a hand down on Ama's horse. Its body was cold with death, yet its eyes were wide open, still consumed with fear. He shut them for her. Perhaps she had been Ama's bane, but he could not blame a horse for what had happened.

Half of Peter wished to look over the cliff and find Ama there, rush down to her and pull her back up, comfort her, love her, look after her. Take her back to the Cair and bathe her, wash and comb her pale hair until it was softer than silk. But the other half of him was scared of what he would find, or what he wouldn't find. What if he saw her there, and hope filled his heart, yet as he climbed down the cliff and reached her, he would take her frail body in his arms and find it cold and limp. Or what if he didn't find her body at all? What if he never knew what had happened to her.

But he dared, he looked, he glimpsed, he saw. He found nothing. She was not there. Without a moment's hesitation he scrambled down the cliff, well almost fell would be more accurate. By the time he reached the bottom he was bruised and his hands cut by the unforgiving rocks. There was a small bank by the river, filled with small grey stones. The water rushed by, not seeming to care about what had just happen, it carried on with life, just as Peter knew he must also.

On the bank he found her saddle bag, and opening it found some herbs, a small ring which she had said had been her mother's and various other bits and pieces. But what lay beside the bag caught his interest the most. It was the small heron he had carved when they were stuck in the ice cave. How had she got it? Maybe he had given it to her in the cave and he had just forgotten? Or had she taken it from him?

He quickly tucked it in his breast pocket. It was his last memory of her, he knew the river would have consumed her, what other option was there. He heard Lune skidding to a stop beside him, Lune immediately bent down and sniffed the ground.

"Ama landed here." Lune said pointing to a dent in the sand "She then rolled, probably from the impact, into the river." He concluded.

"Do you think she survived?" Peter could not help but ask.

Lune did not reply for a while. "I don't know." He finally said "I don't know."

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><p>Fluffy, bonding time over. Now what to happen, should Ama return or should she surely die?<p>

The decision is up to you my kind readers, so tell me what you believe should happen.


	23. A Most Beautiful Song

There seems to be a bit of flirting in this chapter, and it is much light hearted than the previous heart breaking chapter (it broke my heart at least, I don't know about yours). Thank you for the amazing reviews I recieved from the last chapter, lets try and keep it up.

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><p>Chapter 23 – A Most Beautiful Song<p>

Susan and Lucy

They had ridden for the whole day, with barely a stop and as the day drew to a close they decided that a rest was well deserved by the men. The horses were unsaddled, tents were set up, and the camp sprung to life, with the hammering of blacksmiths echoed around the campsite.

Susan and Lucy had been given a lavish tent of their own; some creature had gone to the extent of laying their armour out for them. The chainmail was ready, laid out like artefacts in a museum where people came and stared at them, read their blurbs, looked once again for the signs of use in battle, perhaps a stain of blood, or a missing ring in the chainmail and then moved on, onto the next exhibition.

Lucy touched her armour, gliding her hand across the metal rings, cluttering and clattering at the impact. It had been too long since she had worn anything even mildly like this, no matter what people said, she thought there was some valour in battle, and it had been too long since she had heard the clash of swords. She could not say she enjoyed war; she would have to search a long time to find anybody who did. But it had been too long since she had led this lifestyle, she was glad she was back.

Susan did not want to touch her armour, it was beautifully laid out, and should have remained like that, not worn, just looked at, admired from the distance. She laid down her bow and arrow which she had been carrying all day beside the armour, and left the tent as quickly as she could. The soldiers were creating a fire, and she eagerly sat down and put her hands out to the flames, as the night brought a cool easterly wind.

A man walked over towards the fire, and did not seem to notice her presence. This man was tall and thin, but far taller than most of the men here. His skin was dark, almost as if he had been painted all over with murky mud. His beard was trimmed short and his eyes had a peculiar sparkle to them.

He crouched down by the fire and put his hands out to it, the fire began to roar and it flamed to twice its height. The man lifted his eyes to Susan's and the sides of his mouth turned upwards. He stood up and gave a slight bow, it should have been deeper and Susan raised her eyebrows in distaste.

"Your highness," He said straightening up.

"Mahaid, the magician." Susan replied standing up and strolling casually over to the other side of the fire. "Recent advisor to the Tisroc himself, it is no easy feat to claim such a position."

"Milady, you seem to know who I am," The wizard said, walking towards her so as if to meet her as she walked around the fire. "You are either greatly wizened by the many thousands of years you have lived or somebody has told you about me."

"Well, I hope my years do not show on my appearance," Susan said stopping and looking straight into his gaze. "And yes, I was told about you."

"Only good things I hope." Mahaid replied with a cocky grin, "And milady, no years show upon your sweet face. None at all."

"So I look as young as a new born child." Susan replied, raising her eyebrows once again in a daring gesture.

At this point Lucy walked out the tent and walked over to her sister, upon seeing Mahaid she exclaimed jokingly.

"Who is this poor fellow you have ensnared under your striking gaze, Su."

"This is the magician Mahaid," Susan said, her eyes never leaving his. "You remember llsombreh telling us about him."

Mahaid took Lucy's hand in his and gently brought it to his lips "Your highness," he said, his dark, enticing eyes locked with hers "A pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine." Lucy said giving a foolish and girly giggle.

Susan looked at her younger sister, this man had charmed her, and Lucy was not yet used to the attention of men so much. Long ago it had been Susan who had received all the attention, Lucy had only ever got the attention of men, ugly and withered by age who knew that they stood little chance ensnaring Queen Susan, Lucy had never received the attention of men as handsome as Mahaid. She was not used to it, and neither was Susan. Susan was jealous.

A young soldier walked over to the three of them bearing two bowls of stew. He handed one to each of the queens and bowed deeply taking his leave. The two queens sat down as men and cats began to filter in bringing food with them. They sat in a circle around the fire, the two queens together; Mahaid had been separated from them and now sat a little to their left.

Mahaid however was not eating but had taken out a wad of paper and seemed to be drawing; he would occasionally look up at the two queens then furiously resume his drawings. Lucy was happily chatting away to a tiger on her right about her adventure with Caspian, but Susan was neither talking about some serious nor frivolous matter, she was watching every movement of Mahaid's. His hands moved with supernatural grace, but suddenly he would seem to find some fault in his drawing, his handsome features with contort into that of disappointment and he would rub out his mistake with great passion. Mahaid looked up at his spectator and Susan immediately lowered her gaze, hoping that he had not caught her staring.

The men and cats had finished eating and began to disperse. Susan took this chance to wander offhandedly to Mahaid, and he as yet had not noticed her.

"What are you drawing?" she asked, attempting to look over the paper at the drawing. Mahaid quickly clutched the paper to his chest, like a most prized possession.

"Oh, nothing." He replied abstractly.

"Oh come on, be a good sport, show me." Susan asked putting her hand out for the picture.

"Milady, it is not finished yet." Susan withdrew her hand and looked disappointed. "But when it is finished, I promise, you shall be the first to see it."

"Can I ask what it is?" Susan queried, taking a seat down next to Mahaid.

"You can, but I won't answer." Mahaid said, blushing.

Susan suspected that he had been drawing her after all those snatched glances at her. She was of course used to all the attention of men, and she would admire the picture, put it in her collection and carry on with life. She was glad that this was not some plan to ensnare Lucy; her little sister wouldn't know how to deal with the attention.

"When I was a Queen at court," Susan said turning to face Mahaid. "We used to have a magician at celebrations, he would amuse the guests, and once, I think, he drew pictures of the guest by magic, the likeness was incredible, it was almost like a photograph."

"A photograph?" Mahaid questioned, the foreign word slipping on his tongue. "What is that?"

"Oh, I suppose they have not yet invented the camera here." Susan sighed, "Never mind, but you do not draw by magic, you draw by hand, why? You could draw a picture by magic if you wanted to, and reach perfection, why do you slave away needlessly?"

"Sometimes I like to get away from magic." Mahaid replied, still clutching his paper to his chest, as a mother cradles her new-born child to her breast. "I could draw with magic, and indeed it would be faster and the result would probably be better, but sometimes I wish to get away from magic. Surely as a queen you used to want to get away from queenly duties, what did you do? I know many monarchs went hunting or spent their times devouring books, but what did you do milady?"

"I liked music." She said smiling to herself and remembering her kind kind music tutor who was now, without a doubt, buried deep into the ground. "I also used to arrange parties, with dignitaries or just with friends, if there was any reason for celebration, a celebration there would be."

"What did you play, you said you liked music?" Mahaid asked.

"The lyre, but I also sang."

"Will you sing a song for me?"

"Oh no, I am out of practice!" Susan replied, blushing slightly.

"Then, I won't show you my picture." Mahaid replied.

"That is unfair" Susan exclaimed "and anyway, I am Queen, therefore everyone, even you, must listen to my commands."

"Must I?" Mahaid dared. "But if everyone has to listen to your commands then, we'll just have to command them." At this point Mahaid stood up and clapped his hands to gain attention. Everyone was quiet and turned to look at the magician. "Thank you, now, Her Highness Queen Susan the Gentle requests you all to be quiet as she would now like to sing."

Susan looked up at Mahaid in horror. "Sit down!" She whispered under her breath "And stop acting like a fool."

"Her highness is embarrassed." Mahaid shouted to the crowd. "Give her some encouragement."

"Come on Su!" Lucy's small voice shouted from across the fire "Give us a song."

Soon the whole group began to cheer for Susan to sing; Mahaid looked down at her and smiled. Stretching out his hand to her he pulled her up, Susan straightened her dress and looked at her audience who had turned as silent as mice, or at least dumb mice, as talking mice could be quite a bother to shut up sometimes.

Looking down at Mahaid she whispered so that only he could hear her "I will kill you later for this." Mahaid only smiled and laughed silently.

Susan took a deep breath and began. It was a song that she had learnt long ago, one of the first she had ever learnt; it was a tale of a hero of old. In this song the hero had been born to a young woman whose husband had just died in a war, this young woman had no means with which to support her son, and was forced to become a farm labourer and one particularly cold winter she died, and her young son was left alone with no one to care for him. He wandered into the woods, and was half starved to death, but luckily for him a pack of wolves found him and brought him up. One day, when he was an adult, he left the wolves thanking them and decided that he wanted to be a soldier like his father. The lord of the land hired him, but all the men teased him as he spoke like a wolf and smelt like one. The only one who took pity on him was the Lord's daughter.

The song as this point changed to a love song, with a sweeter tune. However the song soon changed back to its ordinary tune as the Lord's daughter and the Hero went to the Lord to request his approval of their marriage. The Lord however was astonished that his daughter had chosen such a lowly man to marry, but he loved his daughter too much to decline the hero, so instead he sent the hero off to retrieve a diamond which had been lost for centuries. This was an impossible task, and the Lord hoped that our hero would die in the process of finding the diamond and that his daughter would in the mean time fall in love with somebody else.

However with the help of his pack of wolves the hero retrieved this diamond, but while running back to the Lord's palace he was attacked by the dragon which had been guarding the diamond. He fought valiantly but was gravely wounded by the dragon and laid in the mud dying.

Meanwhile the Lord's daughter had a dream that her lover was dying and ran into the woods to help him. She found him almost dead and sat by his side until he died in her arms. She never returned to her father's palace, but it is said that on the darkest of nights you can still see her wondering the woods wearing the diamond necklace that her lover brought for her.

It was only a fairytale but Susan found it exceedingly beautiful. It was a long song and quite difficult to sing, when she was finally finished she looked around at her listeners and smiled. Many seemed to be crying, but most of them were clapping, and the noise was so loud, that anybody would have thought it was a thunderstorm. Susan curtsied and smiled, she was glad that everybody had enjoyed it so much. Some of the men were standing up, such was their delight and others were asking for an encore, but Susan declined and looked back at Mahaid. He was not applauding, he was not crying, he was not smiling. He was just staring blankly into space.

Susan walked over to him and sat down. "Did you not enjoy it, Mahaid?" She asked. "You did not even react, was it too long and boring for you?"

Mahaid looked directly into Susan's eyes and said softly.

"That was the most beautiful thing that I have ever heard."

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><p>Thank you for reading.<p> 


	24. The Long Journey of Waen

Yes, I know, I know, I haven't updated in weeks, and I am very sorry but here you go, some cute Edmund material.

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><p>Chapter 24 – The Long Journey of Waen<p>

Edmund

Edmund sat up abrubtly. He was awake; he was free from that place between worlds that he had just been in. Where was Acontia now? Where was he? He should really stop blanking out and waking up in foreign places, it did him no good.

He was laid on a mattress which was resting between the roots of a great tree, the branches of the tree hung down like that of a willow providing a barrier between him and the outside, this created a sort of room. How this had been contrived, Edmund could only imagine; trees did generally not grow to provide walls.

He felt awful, groggy and not at all well. Often when he woke up he would feel only half awake and in a dream like state. He turned to face the tree's wall of leaves, and he very very slowly opened his eyes. The light poured in and it hurt, so his eyes shut back up again.

"Sir, sir!" He heard an excited voice say, Edmund opened his eyes to see who this person was but was greeted by a blinding wall of light. "Why Sir, you are awake!" The voice was now overjoyed with delight, Edmund's pupils were frantically dilating as they tried to take in the small figure, a badger, standing on his hind legs and looking at Edmund with an expression of great joy. "Oh my, we were all so worried and normally we would have someone here to watch you every day and every night but then you see everybody is preparing for battle, and sir, we didn't really want to leave you behind but the mare, Waen, I believe her name to be said that time is of the essence, but anyway this morning I thought I would come into check on you..."

"Hang on!" Edmund said putting his hand out "Stop right there! You were saying that you are preparing for battle, because Waen told you to. Is Waen here?" Edmund was speaking very fast, as if the words could not get out of him fast enough.

At that point the tree branches were pushed aside and into his little room walked an imposing centaur, clad in armour that shone like the moon in the winter sky. He bowed deeply to Edmund and Edmund managed to push himself up to greet this captain.

"Your Highness." The powerful voice of the centaur said, "I am relieved that you are awake. Young master Badger you may now leave!" The centaur said turning to the badger, which bowed his head and ran out of the tree-room. "My apologies about him, he's a rather talkative fellow who doesn't know quite when to stop."

"That's alright." Edmund replied, trying desperately to take in what was happening "But could you please tell me where I am."

"You are currently in the far western reaches of Narnia, very near to the lantern waste; this area has changed significantly since your first arrival in Narnia, King Edmund."

"I must see it and learn this terrain as I once knew it." Edmund said attempting to get up, however when he tried he found his knees buckling and suddenly he became very dizzy. The centaur quickly caught his king and laid him back down on his bed.

"Your highness, you must not do that, you have lost a lot of blood. We are surprised that you survived that wound at all."

_The hoodless man looked in disbelief and quicker than lightning he struck Edmund in the chest. His clothing tore and blood spilled, as Edmund screamed in pain he floated gently down. _

Edmund gasped as he remembered the sharp edge of the blade against his chest, he clutched the wound and found only a small scar as a reminder of the pain. But what had happened after that fall was even stranger, he remembered all so clearly that island between worlds.

"What day is it? Where are my friends? How did I survive?" Edmund strung out his string of questions.

The centaur smiled caringly "You have many questions, My King. But now, it is the morning of the fifth day of the twenty-first week of the year, you arrived here on the night of the third day."

"But I was stabbed on the first day of the week, I should be dead." Edmund said under his breath, by all logic he should be dead, unless Acontia had been hiding a whole medical kit from him, and had turned into a physician and healed him.

"Well sir, we are very grateful for your survival, but it does seem very odd that you are still here with us. It is almost unnatural, sir, now I don't want to sound superstitious, but some members of the camp believe that that pendant you wear around your neck has something to do with your seemingly immortality."

"What pendant?" Edmund said, he never wore necklaces; he was by no means a girl!

But he looked down at his chest, so that he could reassure himself, but on his neck, as light as a feather, rested a white stone which was radiating a weak light, the stone was intricately inlaid in ornate silver. It was Acontia's necklace, the one she had never taken off. Why was he wearing it? Why wasn't Acontia wearing it?

"How did I get here?" Edmund asked, rotating the necklace over in his hand.

"Well late into the night our sentries spotted a tired horse walking slowly towards the camp, it seemed extremely weak and as we drew closer we saw that it bore an unconscious rider, it was you of course, sir, when the mare arrived she was barely alive but managed to inform us who you were and tell us that three of your companions were injured out in the forest. We immediately sent out soldiers to fetch them. However when you arrived you had a wound on your chest and all your clothes were blood stained, we healed you to our best abilities, but in reality you should have died, sir."

"Are Leuad and Firth alright?" Edmund asked, praying to Aslan almighty that they were alright. "The two companions who were injured in the forest, are they well? And what of Acontia? What happened to her?"

"Indeed, they are well and recovered and so is Waen, the horse you arrived on." The centaur paused. "But... oh no matter."

"You were going to say something good centaur?" Edmund probed.

"Well, your highness, I didn't want to bother you with it yet, but you have the right to know, it is the woman who accompanied you. She is not well, no matter what medicine or cures we administrate to her, she only grows ever closer to death."

"Take me to her immediately." Edmund commanded, attempting to get up.

"But sir, you are wounded." The centaur hassled, supporting Edmund as he stood up.

"She needs me." Edmund said, while walking towards the exit. "And as your king, I command you to take her to me."

"As you wish, your highness." The centaur said giving Edmund his arm to lean on as he got dressed and hobbled over to a different tree-room.

Edmund entered a smaller tree-room and there on a mattress on the floor lay Acontia with her faithful Waen kneeling beside her. There was no light around Acontia as there normally was, and her breathing was laboured. Although her skin was normally pale, it was now sickly so. Her onyx hair hugged her moist face, she looked feverish. Waen looked up at the company.

"Edmund, you're lucky to be alive."

"How is your lady, Waen?"

"Bad, very bad, moments ago she was sweating mountain-loads of water, but now she has grown as cold as ice. I fear she is dying."

"Can she be saved?" Edmund asked, kneeling beside the dimmed star, he slowly stroked her face and felt her frozen skin.

"I don't know. I don't know." Waen replied.

"Our healers have tried all the remedies they know." The centaur said.

_Acontia, don't die, not now. _Edmund pleaded to her. _There must be a way to save you._

_If you want to Edmund, you can. You will figure it out Edmund, you will find a way. _Acontia's words echoed in his head, they had been the last thing that she had said to him on that strange island.

Without quite understanding his actions he tore the pendant from his neck and fastened it round Acontia's. Immediately the pendant began to shine brightly and Acontia's skin resumed its normal radiance. She began to cough, and slowly she opened her eyes, looking up at Edmund she gently smiled.

"Milady, you're better!" Waen whinnied in glee and fondly nuzzled her mistress. Acontia caressed the horse's head in return.

Acontia looked at Edmund and took his hand in hers.

"You figured it out. Thank you Edmund, you saved my life." Their eyes locked and the two couldn't help but smile. "But how are you Edmund? Are you better?"

"Very much so."

At that moment both Leuad and Firth came in bickering at each other. When they caught sight of their king they rejoiced and ran over to him. All five of them shared an embrace, but then Firth drew back and looked at his king.

"Have they told you what happened, how you came here?" The devoted horse said.

"No." Edmund replied, looking around at his companions. "Please tell me."

Firth looked at Wean who then began to speak. "When we had parted, when we were running away from those men, the road which milady and I took led us up to the top of a cliff where we could see what was happening to you two, on another cliff. I was in total despair, but milady, who is very wise, knew that we couldn't help you from our current position and so she flew the two of us down to the bottom of the cliff. At that point she told you to jump off the cliff and you did so."

"I was told that you fell rather gracelessly." Firth said snickering slightly at his master.

"To be fair, Firth," Leuad replied, always at the aid of his King, "He had just been stabbed."

"I seem to love being stabbed." Edmund sighed, although not without sarcasm "What is this, the third time I've been stabbed? Aren't I lucky?"

They all smiled glad that his sense of humour was back, Waen continued.

"But you landed quite safely, and milady wrapped you up in her cloak. She was so angry with the men that she flew up and fought those men all by herself."

"To be fair, I was there giving her helpful fighting tips." Firth added.

"I'm sure that they only hindered her." Leuad replied.

"Oh, be quiet you, I'm not sure it was such a good thing that you were healed." Firth snapped back at his beloved companion. "But as I was giving her amazing instructions on how to fight," Leuad rolled his eyes at Firth's statement. "She began to shine, and half the men seemed to fall unconscious. But the others persisted and well..."

"I couldn't defeat them." Acontia said, relieving Firth of saying that she had not succeed in her task.

"So instead she pulled me off the cliff and we both floated down to the ground, I will now be able to go home and tell them all that not only am I gifted with speech but also with flight." Firth continued. "The men had seemed to have given up at this point and when we reached the bottom Acontia did a curious thing. She cut her arm and from the blood sprung flowers, from these flowers she poured out a sort of liquid onto me, it was sweet and ran through my body like fire, but a strangely pleasant fire, it is strange to explain it to you, you highness."

"I know what this liquid tastes like, as I believe that I have also drunk it. Is it not the juice of the fire-flowers? Is it not the same thing that my sister Lucy carries so preciously in her little bottle?"

"It is." Acontia replied.

"However, she did not attempt to heal you, King Edmund, and I was angry at her. However she explained to me that to heal you, she would have spill enough of her blood that it would kill her. At this Waen began to beg Acontia not to do so, saying that she had not completed her task, and so Acontia promised Waen that she would not."

"Instead," Waen said picking up the story "She ordered Firth to go and find Leuad and to stay with him and comfort him, and she put her necklace onto you, your highness. We rode for three days until we reached the camp."

"I don't think you understand, but for a horse to go without rest for three days is almost a death sentence, and Waen was carrying two of you." Firth said looking with a smile in his eyes at Waen.

Edmund and Acontia looked at each other and grinned slowly, it seemed that their two steeds had taken a certain liking to one another.

"My mistress is very light, but it was the burden of worry that pained me most. I thought that His Highness was going to die, and every dreadful hour I watched my mistress growing weaker as she attempted to prevent your life from leaving your body. Even when my mistress ordered me to stop I refused, because even though every day you seemed to be further from death's door, my mistress could barely stay conscious. One day as we grew closer, milady was so weak that she simply fell off me, I could not wake her up, and I didn't know what to do at that point. I could have sworn my heart broke in two, I knew that I should continue to the camp with you, that is what milady would have liked, but I could not leave you, mistress. But I left you to go to the camp because I thought that perhaps somebody could rescue you."

"You did the right thing, Waen." Acontia said caressing her friend's mane.

"I carried on and I met a group of centaurs who took us in, and after that I remember little as I too fell unconscious. But when I woke up I immediately visited you, sire, and you were much better and then I visited milady and believe me I have never been so sad when I saw you milady. I have seen you through good and bad, but when I saw you laid there you were so weak, you had wasted away completely and I was in tears." The horse said, tears welling in her eyes as she retold the story.

"We all owe our lives to you Waen." Edmund said, patting the faithful horse on the back. At that point the centaur, which had lead Edmund to this tree-room, re-entered and said to Acontia.

"Well, you've woken up."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Ensar." Acontia replied. The centaur seemed shocked that she knew his name, but he composed himself and said.

"Your highness should really rest, and the rest of you, give the woman some space."

The two horses and wolf left the room but Edmund remained, he still had a few questions to ask, the centaur waited for him but Edmund told him to leave, saying that he would soon return to his own room.

He turned to Acontia and smiled, she had saved his life and he was thankful for it.

"How did you know his name, the centaur's name?"

"Oh that, you forget that I am a star, I see all and know much." She replied laughing, her laughter filled his ears like that music had on the island.

"I have one question to ask." He said "I want to know, was it all real; I mean that what happened on that island? Did that happen? Do you remember what happened there?"

"How could I forget?" The star replied.

"But it took no time at all, what happened there."

"That place is outside of time itself; nothing affects it, nothing at all."

"Well, I better leave you to rest." Edmund said standing up, he began to walk towards the branches that made the door, as he was about to step outside he turned around and looked at Acontia. "Thank you. Thank you for saving my life."

"I would do it any day." She replied smiling.

"Well let's hope you won't have to do it again anytime soon."

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><p>Oh and don't forget to review, last chapter I got more reviews than normal and I was over the moon with glee.<p> 


	25. A King Defeated

I know this chapter has been awaited, and personally I enjoyed writing this chapter, hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it.

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><p>Chapter 25 – A King Defeated<p>

Peter

Sometimes he thought he could hear Ama talking away casually to some soldier or laughing at somebody's lousy joke. He would turn around, scan his army and not find her. His mind was playing cruel tricks on him.

He knew that he should learn to accept the fact that he would never see her again. She was probably dead by now, drowned in the cold rushing river water that would callously toss her small body among its power waves. No more would the heron fly. The last shape shifter was dead.

They were but several hours away from Cair Paravel, where he would meet Eril. He would have to convey the dreadful news; no tears would be allowed to roll down his face. He was Peter, High King Peter the Magnificent, he had been the Emperor of the Lone Islands and yet his heart had been conquered and broken, his life shattered, his very existence seemed now trivial.

He could see Cair Paravel looming up, majestic pure white stone glistening in the afternoon sun. How often he had returned home there and been overjoyed to see the familiar sight and long for a great banquet to be laid out for him in the Feasting Room, where he would sit with his siblings and laugh at strange tales of insignificant matters. But today on a sunny day in spring he returned with a heart that echoed with grief. He looked like a king defeated, defeated by grief, defeated by love.

The hooves of his unicorn clattered on the cobbled courtyards, adorned with fountains of bronze and silver, but even the golden statues that rested in the inner palaces were now nothing. From a doorway of stone walked an eager Eril, Shapeshifter, Lord of Cair Paravel, Ama's father, another who, like Peter, had loved Ama more than any material object in this world.

Peter dismounted, bending his knees at the impact of hitting the floor. Eril walked over to him smiling.

"I am so glad that so many soldiers have been found. You must have looked hard; our chances of winning are greatly improved."

"Have the others returned?" Peter said in hushed voices, knowing that spies could be anywhere.

"No, not yet." Eril replied taking Peter inside where they would be safer from the eager ears of the enemy. "But I have sent out messages to them that they should not come out to Cair Paravel but remain hidden in the forest where unwanted eyes are less likely to see them. "

Peter remained silent, how could he tell the news to this man who was so happy at their increasing prospect of winning. But Eril was an eagle, and had the eyes of one, Peter's expression of despair did not go unnoticed.

"What is the matter?" The old man questioned.

Peter looked at the man, old and wise, the long hard years of his life showing all too clearly upon his face. Peter could not look him in the eye. But at that moment a small boy ran from behind a corner. Peter remembered seeing that boy cuddling up into the long dresses of Ama. Now he did not have his thumb in his mouth but seemed overjoyed to see Peter.

"Uncle, uncle!" He shouted, charging into the elderly man, who in turn rested his wrinkled hands on the young child's shoulders. "Where is Amama?"

Peter gasped involuntarily; Ama had been like a mother to this elf-locked boy. Peter knew this boy had already seen the death of his real mother and father, must he experience the death of his surrogate-mother also.

"Indeed, we must go and look for dear old Amama." Eril replied lifting up the boy.

Peter's eyes widened and stepped in front of the two of them, blocking their path.

"No!" Peter ordered.

Eril sensed what Peter wanted, and quickly hastened the little boy away.

"What is it?" The man said, worry filling his eyes.

"Your daughter," Peter said, struggling to fight back to lump in his throat "is dead."

Eril's purple violet eyes widened but he did not move or clutch the wall in despair, he looked straight into Peter's sorrowed eyes.

"How?" Was all he said.

"We were ambushed, she fell off a cliff. We looked for her body, but found nothing, except this." Peter opened his hand and revealed the ring of her mother and the necklace that he had carved for her.

Eril moved as if to take these possessions, and his hand hovered over the two items. He touched Peter's finger tips, and put his hand around them and slowly closed Peter's hand for him.

"Keep them." Eril whispered "For I see now that you also loved my daughter, and that your heart is broken. Let a part of her always be with you. I am sorry that you had to suffer so, for I also lost my wife, a long long time ago, and it broke my heart. Ama was the only one who kept me going, who kept me alive, but now she is gone I must be strong , for the sake of Narnia, for the sake of what is good in this world and for the belief that good can conquer over evil."

Peter looked at the man, who had been kind to him and trusted him; he slowly took the man's head in his hands and kissed him softly on the forehead.

"I would have loved you as a son." Eril said smiling bitterly.

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><p>She was so very tired, all her limps ached with fatigue and exhaustion, her eyes refused to open. The river trickled past her effortlessly, washing her hair with its watery fingers. She murmured something, but the river put its comforting hand over her gaping mouth.<p>

"Shush, my little one go to sleep." The whispery voice said.

She felt as if she was being carried along, so very softly and gently, like a mother cradling her most beloved child. She snuggled further into the water's cool embrace. She remained in that dream-like state for some while until she finally fully awoke and opened her eyes fully.

She was lying on the shore of the river with small waves lapping like eager dogs at her feet. She smiled, was this the shore of Aslan's country, was this a dream. She could feel her quiver still intact on her back, reminding her of its presence. It had taken lives, those arrows. It had killed, in anger and revenge. But all this was for the good of Narnia. She had had to take those lives, but now had her own been taken?

Above her the sky was blue, there were no clouds with which the sky was darkened. The sun shone out bright and pure. She longed to fly with the deep sky above her and the green fields below her, and then she would sing of love, of hate, of war.

But of love, yes, she would sing of love. She had loved, short and brief, passionate, it had been. It had all been dream-like, rushed, how long had she known him, what, a month at the most. But her heart had been stolen, as she had stolen that little heron necklace that he had made.

Where was he now? She wondered, and sat up. Around she saw were several naiads who smiled and laughed their silver-laughs as she turned to look at them. She smiled back for they were truly beautiful creatures. One of them slowly began to brush her hair and she heard whispers around her.

"Go to sleep."

"Yes, sleepy time."

"You're safe here."

"Now go to sleep."

Her eyes seemed to close of their own accord and she fought with all her will to keep them open.

"Where am I?" She shouted

"In a safe place." The silky voices sighed.

"I must go back. I must go back, back to Peter." She said in desperation, of that much she was certain, she must not fail him, she loved him. It was strange, love, such a strange and powerful thing. She pushed herself up, but immediately felt a rush of will forcing her back down again. She fought and screamed but only bubbles filled her mouth, she had been dragged underwater.

"We are the river." The velvety voices urged, now more urgently "We have taken you, come and live with us, we are beautiful, we are graceful. Become a naiad, become one of us."

The voices now chanted ever more loudly and she felt as if her will trickled away, looking at her hand it became translucent and fluid, she began to laugh slowly at the freedom that this new form allowed her, she swam amongst the waves and the naiads.

She attempted the swim up towards the water's surface but found that the naiads quickly wrapped their cold fingers around her and pulled her back down, this was not done harshly but playfully, but she sensed that something was not right. Once again she tried and yet again she was pulled down to the bottom of the river. Desperation took over. She could not breathe.

"Soon you will become one of us." The water people murmured, their voices breathy in the still water.

"No!" She screamed "I will not be one of you. I am a heron. I am Ama, my name is Amethyst. I am the daughter of Eril the half-eagle. I will fight for him and for High King Peter, whom I love."

With this Ama shot out the water and burst into the form of a heron, she landed on the bank of the river and panted, trying to catch back her breath. That had been too close, those naiads had tried to take her to be one of them, and she would have died. No, she would not die here; if she were to die it was to be fighting alongside Peter in battle.

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><p>A penny for your thoughts?<p> 


	26. Games

Chapter 26 - Games

Susan and Lucy

The journey back seemed to be flying past; already they had passed the desert and were now in a greener country. It was in the early morning when they passed the house of that dear faun Tumnus that they had met at the beginning of their journey. He had sprung out, but this time he was not the stuttering self-conscious creature that they had met earlier. Now he had raised an army, and was dressed in mail, wielding a spear. He looked quite the warrior. Lucy and Susan fell to their knees when they saw him and thanked him with all their might.

Enough tea had been produced to water the whole army and a brief stop was made. Susan continued to stare at Mahaid and he drew intently, when he drew he would lean his head forward and his hair would also fall forwards where it would then obstruct his vision and he would distractedly flick back behind his ear and Susan would smile whenever he did this. She waited for him to look at her so that she could tease him, but he did not, he never once looked up from his drawing.

Suddenly a rough shake brought Susan out of her day dream; Lucy was standing behind her smiling her usual grin.

"Let's get moving." She said almost singing.

Susan did not understand how her younger sister could be so happy to be going to battle. Susan knew that every time she saw someone die, whether they are good or bad, a tiny part of her died. Lucy walked around the camp raising the troops up to get them ready. Susan however walked over to Mahaid and peeped over at his drawing.

He had promised to show her what it was, he had kept it secret but she thought that she could guess what it was of. Earlier he had been sneaking glances at her, she would bat her eyes flirtatiously at him, and of course she only meant to tease him, not to fall in love. Often with her friends in America they would play this sort of game where they would try to get as many men as possible to walk up to them and buy them a drink or ask them out, often Susan would have quite a few come up and ask her out. Of course she declined every one of them. This was just a little game she played.

She looked at the drawing, it was beautifully drawn, each fine pencil line exactly in place, so accurately it looked like what we readers would call a photograph. It captured the subjects smile exactly, the shine in their eyes, the freckles upon their face, not one was missed. Those gentle bronze curls of her hair were bewitchingly composed and Susan's mouth opened wide. She had never seen her sister so beautiful.

The artist looked over his shoulder and smiled up at the queen who stood there, awe struck.

"Do you like it?" Mahaid asked, willing to please this queen.

"Why it's beautiful." Susan spurted out, but she could not hide the disappointment in her face. It was indeed well drawn and rarely had she seen a better portrayal of her sister, but it was the fact that it was her sister that annoyed her. As long as she remembered she was always the centre of attention, the beautiful and graceful queen, Queen Susan the Gentle, the men crown around _her, _not Lucy, not little Lucy. Lucy was cheery, always smiling and bouncing like a rabbit in spring. But it was Susan who got the attention from men.

Only now did Susan realise what a beautiful woman Lucy had grown into. But it did not make her glad nor did it delight her. She was jealous, she had not ensnared this sceptical magician, her younger sister had. It was to her that all those sideward glances had been given; it was of her that he had drawn a picture.

"You look upset milady." Mahaid said, a look of anguish on his face.

"We should be going." She stuttered walking away, she knew she should not care so much about a silly little picture, it was worrying her more than it should have done.

"Grow up Susan." She said to herself as she mounted her horse and spurred it north.

A message had come for them to remain hidden in the trees until called for battle as they didn't want the enemy to see them. Tents were set up and the absolutely final adjustments were being made to the armour, Susan and Lucy were walking slowly over to their dressing tent were they would be clad in chainmail and dressed for war.

On the way there Lucy was met by an inquiring faun who wished to speak with her alone and so Susan continued by herself to the dressing tent. The dryads who were her personal maids clothed her quickly and Susan walked over to the archery practice to give her skills a last brushing up.

Weaving her way in and out of the tents she heard a familiar voice, the voice seemed to be laughing and speaking, yet no other voice sounded. Susan was curious and she stopped outside the tent and leant an ear to hear what was being said.

"The troops are few and weak," the deep voice said "we will be able to defeat them with ease. This regiment is far from the battlefield. They will not attack from the cliffs but rather will meet you straight in combat on even ground."

Peaking through the tent Susan saw the magician talking to a crystal ball, she had never seen communication like this. He had not yet spotted her and continued to mutter statistics to the person in the crystal ball. Susan quickly put an arrow to her bow and readied to aim. At this point Mahaid sighed and the crystal ball grew cloudy and he put it away.

Susan took her chance and quickly stepped in, raising her bow and aiming straight for Mahaid. He stood up and raised his hands in a gesture of peace.

"Your highness, I can explain everything." The charmer babbled. Susan did not say a word but narrowed her eyes in distaste. "You heard what I said; all I said to the crystal ball were lies."

"You traitor." Susan said, her voice even and calm, "We took you in, we trusted you and this is how you repay us."

"You took me in because you needed me to fight this war, you did not take me in out of kindness." Mahaid replied raising his voice in defiance.

"Who were you talking to?" Susan asked serenely.

"The Tisroc, but I can explain." He said quickly "Very few magicians are free, they bind themselves to their master, but you see magicians don't choose their master, their master is someone who holds something very dear to them." Mahaid paused and looked up at Susan with pleading eyes.

"Carry on." She ordered regally.

"Magicians have to obey every word that their master commands, whether they like it or not. My master was the Tisroc."

"Was?" Susan questioned with her bow still raised high.

"I will explain. The Tisroc sent me out to spy for him, and I could not disobey I had to report back every night. But one night I found myself free, I found that I no longer had to report back, but I still did so that the Tisroc would not doubt that he was still my master. But he was my master no longer.

"From that night onwards I lied to the Tisroc about everything, including our numbers, our strength, our position. I hate that man, he has been cruel to me, abused me, stolen from. He stole a family heirloom which was very dear to me, that was why I had to be his slave."

"Does someone else now have the heirloom? Why is he no longer your master? Do you think that the heirloom was stolen from him?"

"No, the heirloom was not stolen. I have found that somebody has something more precious of mine, although they do not realise."

"What have you found is more precious? What is more precious than your heirloom?"

"My heart." Mahaid replied, looking Susan straight in the eyes. Susan finally began to piece everything together, and she was suddenly sad, as if a great wave had swept around her life ad played with it at its own will, causing her grief and whatever other feelings it desired to create.

"It is Lucy isn't it. You have fallen in love with my younger sister. That was why you drew a picture of her, you could always have her near you, and you were always laughing with her, looking at her. I see it now. I was so ..."

"No." Mahaid cut in; lowering his hands he began to walk towards Susan who had dropped her bow slightly. "My heart does not belong to Lucy. I like her, but no, she is a very kind young woman but it is not to her that my heart belongs. It belongs to a woman who has doubt in her eyes and a glass shield in front of her. And from behind this glass shield she can watch the world and the world can watch her, the world can admire her, fall in love with her. But she cannot be touched, and she cannot love the world outside and so thinks herself safe. But nobody can truly love her while she has this glass shield because they don't know the real her."

"I don't understand." Susan said now dropping her bow completely.

"Oh, I think you do Susan. But it would hurt your pride too much to lower this barrier, wouldn't it? But one day, this barrier will shatter I promise you and all your feeling will rush out and it will hurt you, Susan, it will hurt you. But with this barrier you can't love anyone, you are immune almost, but love is a beautiful thing Susan."

"I am Queen Susan; you should not say such thing about a Queen." Susan scolded, trying desperately to fight back the tears.

"My humble apologies. I am sorry for you, My Queen." He said, his dark eyes not leaving hers. "I am sorry that it is so hard for you to lower this barrier."

He walked past her, stopped a moment and looked at her, but Susan continued to stare at the spot that he had just stood. Nobody had ever said anything about her like that. It was so rude. He should not have said it. But somehow, although she was angry with him, she almost felt free because of what he had said. She turned to look at Mahaid but he had walked past her now and was almost out the tent.

"Wait." She said, almost desperately. Mahaid stopped and looked at, no emotion betrayed in his face.

"Yes, your highness."

"I have a question for you. You professed that it was I whom your heart belonged to, yet the picture you drew several nights ago was of my sister, Queen Lucy. Why did you not draw your master?"

"Because every time I tried to draw my master, I could not capture the graceful way you moved, the gentle way you say things and look at people and touch things, the picture did not hold your movements on it."

"No, of course not. Since when do pictures move?"

"I have explained everything you do is so beautiful and gentle. Even the way you came in here and pulled the bow string was gentle, almost as if you could never hurt anything. But you have hurt me your highness, you have taken my heart, but it is not for that that I am said, it is because you will never feel what I feel. The wall you have built around you will keep out sadness and such feelings, but it also keeps out joy."

Susan said nothing, she could not. She wanted to resist what he was saying, she wanted to deny it, call him a liar, but she could not because she new deep in her heart that every word that he said was true. She knew that she was cold and heartless, she could not feel joy because she tried to keep out the pain. A lone tear fell down her cheek.

"I am sorry." Mahaid said, seeing that she was crying.

Susan turned to look at him, he was indeed handsome, not strikingly so but subtly. He slowly put his hand to her face and at the touch of his warm hand she slowly closed her eyes and leaned her face into his hand trying to bring him ever closer to her. Slowly he also closed his eyes and brought his face closer to hers, the distance between them quickly disappeared but just before their lips met Mahaid pulled his hand and away and left silently.

Susan opened her eyes but he was already gone. She rushed out the tent but could not see him anywhere, he had gone. She shouted out for him and many people looked at her. She asked random soldiers if anyone had seen him but none had, she rushed over to the training field, he was not there, then she went to the armoury. Lucy was there chatting innocently away to a squirrel who was polished her shoes.

Lucy saw Susan rushing in tears streaming down her face and she was immediately worried for her sister. She had never seen her in such a state.

"Susan, are you all right?" Lucy asked walking over to her older sister.

Susan said nothing but bit her lower lip and went into yet another wave of tears. Lucy put her comforting arms around her shaking sister and motioned for the little squirrel to go. Gently sitting down her siste,r she got her a drink and Susan finally calmed down.

"Now Susan, tell me slowly, what is the matter? Who has hurt you now?"

"Oh Lucy, I think I'm in love." Susan said wiping away her final tears.

"And you're crying?" Lucy said, entirely confused. "I thought that would be something to rejoice. Doesn't he love you back?"

"Oh, he does."

"Then I can't see what the fuss is about."

"It's so very hard to explain." Susan said weeping yet again for her strange and complicated life. "I tried all so hard to believe that this world is not real, I fear that we will leave her once again and that it would break my heart if I loved anyone."


	27. The Old Professor

Oh, I do love Edmund chapters, they are so nice to write. But anyway I rewatched Lord of the Rings for like the gazzilianth time and I was thinking that Faramir and Edmund are actually quite similar in some really strange way, or is that just my weird brain, but anyway most of you probably aren't interested but anyway please review and thak you so much to all those amazing people who review and especially to all those anonymous reviewers.

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><p>Chapter 27 – The Old Professor<p>

Edmund

The small spring green leaves that clung so dearly to the tall trees began to turn darker to their summer colour. Edmund would often walk among these trees and rest his hands upon their skin, trying to learn them. Trees had always fascinated him. He would breathe each different sweet scent and remember it; he promised himself that he would return to this place of ethereal beauty.

It was on one such wandering that a young centaur approached the King, serene in that beautiful way centaurs hold. Bowing deeply the centaur spoke in his deep voice.

"Please, your highness, follow me. My master, a professor wishes to talk to you. It won't take long."

"A professor you say? Hmm, I did not know that professor's resided amongst generals in an army camp." Edmund said teasingly.

"Oh no!" The centaur exclaimed "He lives in the camp on the edge of the camp."

"I did not know that there was another camp to this camp." Edmund said, "This place seems to just be getting bigger and bigger, but lead me to this professor of yours."

The centaur walked off in silence and Edmund followed obediently. As they weaved in between the trees that made up the camp Acontia noiselessly swept out of one of the tree-rooms. Smiling at him she asked where he was heading.

"To a certain professor." He replied not quite certain of his own answer.

Acontia smiled, "Mind if I tag along?" She asked "This professor greatly interest me."

"No doubt you know his whole history, being a star and all." Edmund said offering his arm to her; she gratefully accepted and walked beside him. "Will you not tell me who he is?"

"You'll just have to wait and see." She said teasingly, Edmund sighed and carried on walking.

After not long they reached an older clump of trees and the centaur motioned for the two of them to enter past the branches of a short willow which was so bent with the years it almost looked like it would fall into the river by which it stood.

The floor of the room was jumbled with feathery cushions and on one particularly large clump of pillows sat a very old man. His hair was so thin that only very few white strands were left. His skin was a maze of wrinkles but he sat up very straight and faced his guests. He was short in stature, but held great power in his poise. His eyes were closed and when he opened them Edmund saw that the once active orbs were now clouded with age and the man was indeed blind. The man caressed his incredibly lengthy beard and addressed the King of Narnia.

"I have been expecting you for a very long time, even though you were destined never to return, King Edmund. You may not remember me, but I remember you oh so very clearly." The strong, old voice said. Edmund knew that he had heard this voice before but could not place it anywhere. "I remembered everything about you, the way you spoke, the way you smelt, the way you laughed and fought. You could say that I was once struck to have once the seen the Kings and Queens of old. I even remembered your footsteps, that's how I knew it was you who entered."

"You remember my footsteps?" Edmund said, amazed that anybody could remember a detail so small.

"It is obvious that you do not recognise me, young man." The definite voice said.

"Who are you sir, I am racking my brain, but I can't come up with any ideas. Anybody I might have met in my adventures with Caspian would surely have died of old age now."

"Well some of us surprise ourselves and seem ineradicable and just carry on living." The old man laughed "I am Professor Cornelius, I taught Caspian and later his son."

"But when I met you, you were already old, by all logical reasoning you should be dead." Edmund said shocked that this man was still alive, but now that this man had divulged his identity Edmund saw that without doubt this was the old professor he had met all those year back.

"I am as confused as you are as to why Aslan has still kept me alive; perhaps I have yet to complete some duty. I feel no longer that my life is my own, but I feel like I am being moved around like a chess piece on a board. When Caspian's son died I fled here, scared that I also would be assassinated. I set up a sort of camp here, and I learnt how to weave the trees into rooms like this one, I learnt how to live at one with nature. I was fascinated by the forest and learnt how to live at peace, I swore never to kill again and I put aside all weapons. I now appreciate the world around me as I always wanted to, and I have now collected quite a few followers who have also put down their weapons and we have dedicated ourselves to Aslan.

"Indeed I have felt enlightened ever since I saw Aslan, which is why I started this organisation. We call ourselves The Followers of the Phoenix, the bird which as I am sure you know, is the emblem that peace is in the land, they only appear when Narnia is or soon will be at peace."

"How interesting." Edmund said, who was enthralled by this man's ideas.

"I also teach my followers not to rely on one sense but to use all, for instance I trained my hearing to be very good so that now I may recognise each person's different footstep, and how many people are in this room just by hearing their breathing. Some of us have also strange dreams that show us glimpses of the future and indeed I had a dream about you, King Edmund, which why I knew that you were in the camp. I had a dream that you would come to us on a black horse with a woman, a woman who holds great power within them but are afraid to use it."

Edmund at this point looked at Acontia who showed no response as to what Cornelius was saying, Cornelius continued talking

"I went to some centaurs and they told me that not so long ago two stars had fallen from the heavens and that they only could know how to get to this excluded place, and well King Edmund, I was wondering if you had been accompanied by some stars, and if you could bring them to me, as I would much desire to speak to them."

"It was I you dreamt of, Professor." Acontia said, speaking for the first time.

The professor was clearly startled and turned his face towards her.

"I did not hear you enter, nor did I hear your breathing, nor did I sense your presence. Are my powers leaving me?"

"We stars can walk on air and water, our feet fall light upon them, that is why you did not hear me. We watch you mortals from the sky without blinking as you look upon us as the light in the dark, which is why you did not sense me. The stars light your way, we guide you. We know so much about you, while you know so little about us. We are the watchers."

"You are just as I expected you to be." Cornelius said in wonder. "You know all the myths and tales, all history, all poetry, all right and all wrong, all lies and all truth. You are like the greatest of libraries; you are a store of all knowledge."

"We know, yet we know not. We see, yet we touch not." Acontia said, a hint of sadness and longing in her voice which Edmund's trained sense managed to pick up.

"You are indeed much like Ramandu." Cornelius decided.

Acontia laughed at the aged man's comment, and all the birds that flew among the trees of the forest seemed to sing at her joy and the centaur who had led them in seemed to almost be on the verge of crying tears of happiness.

"Ramandu and I are very different among stars, but I suppose to you mortals we are all very similar."

"If only I could see you," Cornelius sighed, "I am sure that nothing would be comparable to your beauty."

"Beauty is only skin deep, sire." She replied, grinning at his appraisal.

"Indeed you are wise." Cornelius said, and it almost seemed that his blind eyes seemed to light up.

"Knowledge is only accountable by experience," Acontia said, enjoying every moment of this little banter with this man. "But I have enough experience to satisfy me."

"I presume you will be fighting with us." Cornelius continued.

"I have every intention of doing so."

"Splendid."

No one continued the conversation and the four of them: Cornelius, Edmund, Acontia and the young centaur listened to the sweet song of the birds outside. Cornelius faced the centaur who was fidgeting silently in the corner.

"My friend," The professor said kindly "I sense that you are eager to ask something. Please speak."

"Milady," The centaur said addressing the star, "It is the centaur's duty to watch the skies, and indeed one fateful evening we looked up and saw two stars fall down to this humble ground. Were we wrong, was it only you who fell to earth, was there no other star?"

Edmund shifted uncomfortably, this was no easy topic for Acontia.

"Indeed, I was beginning to wonder the same thing." The elderly professor muttered.

Acontia did not move and Edmund gently put his hand on Acontia's arm.

"If you do not wish to tell them, then you do not need to." He whispered kindly to her.

"No, they asked, so they shall know." She replied, and addressed the centaur and the professor, "That night you did indeed watch two stars fall down to earth; those two stars were my twin brother and I. However we were tricked and betrayed, by actions that were unavoidable. These actions of betrayal were performed by the person that he loved most dearly, and these actions led him to be murdered by Sorugyn."

The sound of silence echoed around the room, and Edmund turned his face to look at the centaur. The centaur's strong features had contorted into anger and disgust; he began to pound his hoof against the ground in an infuriated passion. The centaur no longer being able to contain his strong feelings rushed out the room and his cry of fury thundered around the camp.

"Such sacrilege has never even been attempted to be performed, this is a crime beyond all crimes, this is unheard of. If I had the strength left I would give up my vow never to hold a weapon and I would charge by your side and King Edmund's on the battlefield."

Acontia leant over to the aged man and took his withered hand in her pure hands and brought it up to her lips where she kissed it. He turned his unseeing eyes to her, and a lone tear seemed to fall from his eyes.

"I fear we will not meet again, professor." Acontia said, still holding his hand between hers.

"The same thought was running through my mind, if I could only see you."

Acontia smiled and slowly put her hand on his head, closing her eyes. The professor seemed to wince in shock but the moment was over in a second and Acontia withdrew and stood up. The professor turned to face the two, and said first to Edmund.

"We will meet again, my young King, and I look forward to our meeting." Then turning to Acontia, he said steadily and surely "When the time comes, I promise to do as you commanded me."

With this Acontia kissed Cornelius on his head and quickly left the room without looking back, Edmund following in her footsteps.

"What did you tell him?" Edmund asked.

"I showed him what I looked like, then I showed him a small vision of the future, and asked him to make a promise, that was all, and what I showed him was for him only. You will see what I showed him yet, you will experience the moment." Said Acontia, lost in deep thought.

"So what, you can also see the future now as well?" Edmund said, her talents never seemed to end.

"I have strange visions, yes." She replied, smiling at his question.

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><p>Edmund picked up each of the swords in turn, trying them out, but none of them had the feel of his previous sword, which now lay broken on the cliff edge somewhere in the Great Forest. The chief-blacksmith, a stoutly dwarf with a long black beard was eyeing the King with great interest as Edmund tried out his sword skills.<p>

"None of these swords feel right." Edmund said, half to himself half to the blacksmith.

"We have no swords fit for kings here, sire." The dwarf said, somewhat jeeringly, in that way that black-dwarfs do.

"It would be even more unfit if a king walked out onto the battle field without a sword." Edmund replied to the dwarf's comment.

He picked one of the swords again and tried some movements with it, but to no success, he placed back among the others.

"My, my Edmund, what is the King doing at the blacksmiths, shouldn't he planning battle strategies." Said a sweet voice, a pure voice of a heavenly being.

"Looking for a sword." Edmund said between closed teeth, he was in no mood for being teased, neither by dwarves nor by stars.

"I am sorry for you Edmund, that sword was given to you when you first met Aslan, you must have felt very attached to it."

"I was." He replied nonchalantly.

"But, if you follow me, I believe that I could find you a sword more suited to a king." Acontia said.

Edmund turned around and looked at her; he was bored with these swords. None of them were badly made, yet they were nothing compared to his previous sword.

"Because you carry spare swords around with you, and you are happy to give one to me, okay I'll follow you."

Acontia headed out the tent without a word and Edmund followed her a few steps behind, weaving in and out of the trees. Stepping through the tree branches the two entered her room. Her room was very tall but smaller compared to his own, Edmund thought looking around. Acontia walked over to her small pack of items that she carried around with her. From underneath her pile of clothes she pulled out a light leather scabbard and kneeling down before the King she bowed her head and said,

"Please except this sword, your highness." Acontia said with all formality, "This sword once belonged to my brother, and I would be honoured if you took this sword."

"I cannot take it." Edmund said immediately and stepped back, he could not take it.

"Please, it is of fine quality, I promise." She said raising her head and locking her eyes with his. "My brother would prefer his sword to be used again in battle than to lie restless, buried and forgotten."

Wordlessly Edmund moved towards the sword, and taking it in his hands he drew it from its shell. The sword was bright as if the light of the stars were reflected in it and its edge was hard and keen, it was lighter and swifter than any sword he had ever seen, its craftsmanship was beautiful.

"It is called Seren." Acontia said standing up and watching Edmund admiring the sword which glittered like ice.

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><p>Days had passed like hours and the army rested in the forest, but several miles from Cair Paravel. They had been told to progress no further until ordered, and he saw the men sharpening their swords, fitting their armour, all silently, wordlessly, yet as he walked past each of them, they would look up at him and he would catch a gleam of hope in their eye. He walked over to a podium without thinking what he was doing, standing upon it he looked down at his men who slowly, soundlessly strolled towards him and they watched him with their happy eyes.<p>

"My men," He projected, not knowing what to do, "Soon we will go to war, few of you have ever fought before in battle, skirmishes perhaps but not battles and not wars. I have fought in wars, I have seen friends die and sometimes in my dreams I hear the crash of swords, the whistling of arrows and the strange mournful mutter of the battlefield. But I have no love of war. Yet I would give anything to see Cair Paravel shinning in its gentle splendour and a crown upon a true king's head. I wish to see Cair Paravel again as it was in old, full of light, high and fair, beautiful as a queen among other queens. And war must be, for my wish to be. We must defend our lives from Sorugyn, a destroyer who would devour all of Narnia; but I do not love war. I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend: Narnia, Aslan. I love Narnia for all her beauty, for her memory, her ancientry and for her present wisdom. I love Aslan, and it is for him we must fight. We do not go to war for a needless cause, for I do not slay man or beast needlessly and not gladly even when it is needed. But now it is needed. Draw your swords, draw your bows and let us fight for Narnia!" Drawing his sword Edmund shouted above the chanting of the crowd, "We go to fight for Aslan and for Narnia!"

Acontia watched the young man and as he spoke, his pale face ripe with passion, and Acontia could not help but catch her breath. Acontia now saw him for what he truly was, a man who had been assailed by great fear and anguish, but had mastered it and was now quiet. He was braver than most people credited him for, she thought, as many find it hard to believe that a man can be so wise and learned as he is and yet he is still a man of hardihood and swift judgement on the field. Perhaps he was less reckless and eager than Peter, but by no means less resolute. Proud and grave Edmund stood there, sword in hand and Acontia gazed at him. She looked at him and saw the grave tenderness in his eyes, and knew that there was no creature mortal or immortal that could outmatch this king of kings in battle, this man both stern and gentle. Suddenly her heart was strangely moved with a feeling she had not felt before. Here was one with an air of nobility, yet a nobility both incalculable and remote. He seemed to be touched with both sadness and wisdom, both commanding and witty. She now knew why Caspian had loved him so dearly, why all those who had met him spoke so fondly of him. He was a king whom all matter of beasts would follow, and from that moment onwards she vowed she would follow him to the very end, even to the darkest of ends.

With the crowd cheering Edmund stepped down and in that moment two gryphons flew down from the sky and bowing deeply to the king said,

"We have been sent by Lord Eril to summon you to a council. My friend and I will carry Your Highness and a companion to this council, please follow us." The gryphon bowed again.

Edmund turned to the lead centaur, which was standing by his side.

"Will you accompany me?" Edmund asked the towering creature.

"I am afraid sire that my feet belong here on firm earth, I could not stand being carried by gryphon or any other flying creature. My deepest apologies your highness."

"I will go." Said a strong voice.

Edmund turned and gazed upon Acontia now dressed in her battle-wear, he smiled, he was glad to have a friend by his side. The two of them stepped into the gryphons' grasp and the magical creatures took off.


	28. Battle Plans

Well the Pevensies have finally met up. But for all you non-Brits this chapter refers to a famous incident in British history - the battle of Hastings. Here is a quick overview for you people who don't know what happened in it. You probably don't have to read this to understand it, but I added it to the story so that it would make the characters seem more real and relate to their time in England.

Anyway, the Battle of Hastings was the last successful invasion of England. The battle was fought between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II. Harold was killed in battle.

William relied on basic tactics with archers in the front rank weakening the enemy with arrows, followed by infantry which would engage in close combat, culminating in a cavalry charge that would break through the English forces. However, his tactics did not work as well as planned. William's army attacked the English as soon as they were ready and formed up. Norman archers shot several volleys but many of the arrows hit the shield wall and had very little effect. Believing the English to have been softened up, William ordered his infantry to attack. As the Normans charged up the hill, the English threw down whatever they could find: stones, javelines, and maces. The barrage inflicted heavy casualties among the Norman ranks, causing the lines to break up.

The infantry charge reached the English lines, where ferocious hand-to-hand fighting took place. William had expected the English to falter, but the arrow barrage had little effect and nearly all the English troops still stood, their shield wall intact. As a result William ordered his cavalry to charge far sooner than planned. Faced with a wall of axes, spears and swords, many of the horses shied away despite their careful breeding and training. After an hour of fighting, the division on William's left faltered and broke completely, fleeing down the hill. Suffering heavy casualties and realising they would be quickly outflanked, William retreated. Unable to resist the temptation, many of the English broke ranks, including hundreds of fyrdmen and Harold's brothers.

William and a group of his knights successfully counter-attacked the pursuing English, who were no longer protected by the shield wall, and cut down large numbers. Many did not recognise the Norman counter-attack until it was too late, but some managed to scramble back up the hill to safety. The battle then turned to William's advantage, since the English had lost much of the protection provided by the shield wall. Without the cohesion of a disciplined, strong formation, the individual English were easy targets. William launched his army at the strong English position again and many of the English housecarls were killed. William and his army won becuase they had retreated and then counter-attacked.

Hope you enjoy.

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><p>Chapter 28 – Battle Plans<p>

The Seven of them stood around a map of the battle field. Eril was hunched over it marking the position of the enemy as the other six stood around and looked at the map. Lune stood by Peter's side admiring the monarchs with his dog-eyes, never in his wildest dreams had he imagined ever meeting them. Acontia stood beside Edmund, her face composed but her eyes gleaming with excitement. Lucy stood smiling with glee at meeting all her siblings again; red tear streaks were still visible on Susan's pale face.

"Sorugyn knows that the Kings and Queens of old have returned and he knows that Peter has raised an army from the north, his spies have carefully watched your army's arrival." Eril said his voice grave, "Our spies tell us that they only know of the army of Cair Paravel and the army from the north. The other battalions are unknown. That is our sole advantage."

"The enemy hold the high ground; they have set their camp at the top of the cliff. Not only does this give them an advantage as our archers will be near useless, but their numbers our greater than ours." Lune said looking around at each monarch in turn.

"Our chances of winning this battle are slim; we have the low ground and even with our hidden battalion our army is still less in numbers than theirs." Eril added his voice sad.

"We need a plan." Said Peter, stating what everybody was thinking.

"We have the Kings and Queens of old, surely that must count for something?" Lune said, and the others looked at him and smiled at his naivety. Lune seeing that this comment was pointless turned his eyes downwards and remained silent.

"Aslan can help us, he always has." Lucy said, "He has always saved Narnia, we have simply been his tools."

"Aslan cannot help you." Acontia said, speaking for the first time. This was the first time that everybody except Edmund had ever heard her pure voice ring clear in the air, and they were all taken aback by the beauty of it. "Aslan is in a very deep sleep."

"Then we must wake him." Lune said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Aslan cannot simply be woken," Acontia stated, "He can only be woken if either Sorugyn or the being that put him in this sleep were killed."

"Who was the one who 'put Aslan to sleep' as you said?" Lune asked.

"That is beside the point." Edmund said, glancing at Acontia, he did not want the others to even get the notion of sacrificing her life. Sometimes he thought, secrets must be kept, "We must kill Sorugyn. He is the core of all this evil."

"That is easier said than done." Acontia whispered, yet all heard her.

"Can we not set a trap for Sorugyn," said Peter, "We managed to lure Miraz into one with Caspian, and surely we could do something similar with Sorugyn."

"Sorugyn is not tied by any bounds of loyalty or pride as Miraz was, and he is uncannily good with a blade, not to mention he posses magical powers." Acontia said her eyes still not daring to meet with anyone else's.

"Is there no way we can lure him?" Peter said, trying to lock his eyes with Acontia. He remembered painfully how, before she could speak, he had forced her to kiss him, he reconciled at the thought. She was beautiful, although Peter did not know that even among the stars she was considered one of the fairest, he knew that she was fairer than mortal tongue could tell. Yet she was nothing compared to Ama. If Acontia was the moon then Ama was the sun to him. He could see how one could desire Acontia, with her beauty and sophistication, but know he saw there was no way he could love anybody, not even someone as fair as Acontia, his heart was Ama's, it belonged to the shape-shifter he know believed dead. Peter looked away for a moment and tried to recollect himself.

"Are you alright Peter?" Susan asked, sensing his pain.

Peter nodded, not trusting his voice.

Suddenly Edmund spoke as if in a dream, "Do you remember the battle of 1066?"

"We weren't in Narnia in 1066, Edmund," Lucy said, confused, "We left in 1015."

"No, no I mean 1066, England." Edmund said, looking around at his siblings.

"The Battle of Hastings?" Susan asked in confusion.

"Edmund this is all very well, but what does this have to do with anything?" Peter asked annoyed that they were getting nowhere with their plans.

"William had the low ground yet he still won." Edmund continued his eyes suddenly becoming bright with energy, "William tricked Harold by retreating. He climbed up the hill, and when the Harold thought he was winning William retreated and Harold and his army chased him down the hill. William then turned around and Harold's army was stuck and could not turn and run back up the hill. Can we not do the same?"

Eril, Lune and Acontia looked at the Pevensies in confusion.

"We will attack." Lucy said.

"Then be attacked." Edmund continued, glad someone was picking up.

"Withstand their attack." Said Peter.

"Then pretend to withdraw." Edmund said, a smile erupting onto is face, "The enemy thinking that we have surrendered, will chase us down the hill. Then we can turn around and they will be trapped, not being able to climb back up."

"While the main battle is going on," Eril interrupted, "We can keep our troops in the forest so that when the enemy is lured down the hill they will be truly trapped as the part of our army that was hidden will now be at the top of the cliff."

"Our battalions," Peter said addressing Eril, "are the largest therefore we should group them together to make our army look mildly impressive to Sorugyn."

"You are all forgetting about Aslan though." Lucy said, "I have a feeling that we will need his help before the end. I will go to him and try my best to wake him."

"Aslan lies on an island at the very end of the eastern ocean, it is a long way away." Acontia said looking at Lucy.

"And the road there is dangerous, your highness." Eril said.

"I will accompany her." Lune said unexpectedly and all eyes turned to him, "If the battle continues into the night and the full moon rises, my troops would not recognise and think me the enemy, they would no doubt kill me without second thought. I would be more use to Queen Lucy."

All was agreed and all seven of them went off, sure that battle would be won by them.

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><p>I know that chapter wasn't too long, and I hope it didn't confuse you too much, but feel free to review.<p> 


	29. A Queen and a Captain

I know that many of you have been asking for a little Lucy + OC stuff. I tried my best - it didn't seem to come too naturally though. But here is the finished result. Hope you enjoy - oh and don't forget to leave a little review at the end.

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><p>Chapter 29 – A Queen and a Captain<p>

Lucy

The plan was set. The two of them mounted their horses and rode as silent as shadows into the black night. Lucy and Lune would ride in the tunnel that stretched from Narnia's mainland to Sorugyn's stronghold on an island in the east, many people considered this tunnel the only good deed that Sorugyn had ever performed for Narnia, as it meant that it was no longer necessary for people to risk going over the sea to get to the islands in the east.

The entrance to the tunnel was but a few miles away from Cair Paravel and it was not long before the two of them stood before what looked like a simple cave entrance. Several guards paced around it and Lucy and Lune trotted hesitantly up to them.

"Who are you and what is your business here?" A guard asked, clearly of Telmar origin.

"We have business with Sorugyn, the true ruler of Narnia," Lune growled through clenched teeth. "You would do well not to hinder our progress to his castle."

"You know as well as I do that Sorugyn is no longer residing in his castle," the guard said, hand on hilt. "He prepares for battle."

"We have been ordered by him to retrieve something of great importance from his abode." Lucy answered quickly, improvising lies as she went along.

"And he sent you, a woman." A dwarf answered back, sneeringly.

"Do not ask questions of our Lord Sorugyn." Lune said menacingly, drawing his sword and pointing at the dwarf. Using a trick he had learnt long ago he slid a bag of money down his sword into the hands of the guard who wordlessly stood by to let them go. As soon as they were out of sight, Lucy let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close." She whispered not daring to make too much noise.

"And I fear that we will meet many more such difficulties on our path." Lune said, worry creeping into his voice.

Lune looked over at his queen who was riding erect on her horse. He could not help but smile at her face; he could not imagine pain nor fear ever crossing those beautiful yet simple features that she bore. She always seemed so jolly to him, her spirit unsinkable, her joy unconquerable. But who was he to think such thoughts, he was but a captain and she a queen.

The horses continued at a fast pace and the two were carried into the tunnel, at one point the air became so thin that they thought they were going to suffocate. Lucy almost fainted but Lune quickly gave her some water and she returned to her normal cheery self. They laboured on, talking occasionally; Lucy asked about Lune's life and soon found out about him being a werewolf.

"You are not shocked?" Lune asked questioningly when Lucy showed no reaction when he told her.

"No," She smiled, almost as if to herself, "My life is such a jumble of things that seem to make no sense, and nothing shocks me now. Being transported from world to world is weird enough; something like that just shakes the shock out of you."

The tunnel ended and rose up again to the surface, before them stood a grey castle dominating the whole island, the sea encircling it on all sides. It rose up tall, an unwanted landmark in the middle of a silvery ocean. They urged the horses on through the cobbled streets. Lucy looked around her and saw on the side of the street, in the gloomy shade of the houses, haggard men and women sitting or lying on their backs, motionless. Their mouths had a curious blackish look, as if they had been bruised, and around their lips flies swarmed and gathered in clusters. At first Lucy thought they were dead but looking closer she saw their chests heaving as if each breathe were painful to take. One of them opened their eyes and Lucy gasped, she had thought them all old, but now looking upon them again saw that they were people her age. Their eyes were haunted. One girl held out her hand to Lucy and slowly stood up, she attempted to walk towards the queen, but the girl seemed to be assailed by imaginary phantoms and fell back down to the ground, cracking her head open on the hard ground.

Lucy quickly dismounted her horse but Lune grabbed hold of her arm and set her back on her steed.

"No, do not touch them." He warned, his eyes filling with pity as he looked upon the people littered at the edge of the street.

"What is wrong with these people?" Lucy asked, her eyes searching his.

"Sorugyn gave them Polil, it numbed and soothed them, and let the body be free of the mind. And the mind roams free. But when it returns to the body it needs more Polil. The craving grows, and that is how Sorugyn kept them loyal to him, for all supplies of Polil are in his power, and they fight for him, mindless, powerless, but their hunger for Polil keeps them strong. But it is a poison; life is short. First there is a trembling, later paralysis, and then death."

Lucy looked back at them, the girl had not risen and none of the others that sat in the shade moved to help her.

"Come on!" Lune said, leading Lucy up the street.

The soldier lead his queen into the streets which were glowing in the rising sun, he lead her past market stalls selling clothes and fruits of all various colours.

"How is it possible to do something that cruel?" Lucy said slowly as if shock. "How could Sorugyn treat his people like that?"

Lune looked at the Queen and felt pity for her; he felt pity for her naivety of the world. He did not answer her, he could not. He did not understand Sorugyn, nor what he did, how could anybody allow such evil to exist.

The road ended and a great set of doors stood before them. Lune pushed them open cautiously, and once he dismounted his horse, he stepped in. He beckoned Lucy and they walked further in. Leaving their horses by the gigantic doors they walked as silently as possible into the big room. At the other end of this building they would come out and there a gryphon would meet them and fly them to the Far East. But that was not to be as before they could get far, several soldiers caught sight of them and walked suspiciously towards the queen and her soldier.

"Papers." Said one of the soldiers holding out his hand. "You cannot go past here without papers."

Lucy's hand crept self-consciously to where a dagger was hidden. She looked at Lune, they had no papers. Lune snuck a glimpse at her and then quickly pulled out a short sword and attempted to stab the nearest soldier to him. However this soldier had been on his edge and rapidly jumped out the path of the sword.

Now all the soldiers withdrew their swords and Lucy withdrew two small daggers which had been hidden in her tunic beforehand. She slashed and she fought and Lune did the same beside her, yet there were too many and they were forced back. Lucy felt herself being forced through an archway and Lune was pushed back into it too, as soon as he was in the other room Lucy slammed the door shut and collapsed onto the floor out of breath. But there was no rest; the soldiers on the other side of the door were slamming all their weight against the door, Lucy knew that they could not hold off the soldiers for long.

Lune leant his weight now against the door and turned to Lucy.

"Go!" He shouted, "The soldiers will soon break through the door."

"But I can't leave you." Lucy protested. "It is desertion."

"If you don't rescue Aslan you will be deserting your country. Don't desert your country, you have to rescue Aslan." He barked, "I'll try to hold them off as long as possible."

Lucy walked up to Lune who was sweating as he leaned his whole weight on the straining door and she quickly kissed him on the cheek. It was chaste and composed, yet she had no idea why she did it. Both of their faces flushed with embarrassment and Lucy turned around before Lune could see her reddening cheeks. She ran across the vast hall that must have once belonged to a great and rich man, yet was now disused and empty. Lucy imagined people banqueting here, and women in flowing dresses of silk and satin, and men courting giggling young females. But now all that was in the hall was dust.

She reached the door at the far side and turned around just in time to see the other door being broken down and the soldiers attacking Lune. She whispered a silent prayer for her soldier and rushed out onto a golden balcony where awaited her the gryphon Arrowspeed. The two of them flew over the sea which shone in all the brilliance of the morning sun, Lucy gripped tightly as the gryphon flew fast, the day grew older yet they saw nothing until suddenly a fleet of ships became visible.

"Go lower, dear Arrowspeed," Lucy commanded, pulling out her bow and arrow. "I believe those to be battle ships sailing towards Narnia."

Arrowspeed, being a dutiful servant of Queen Lucy, swooped down and Lucy saw the fleet of Calormene ships clearly. Putting an arrow to the string she shot and narrowly missed one of the captains of the main ship. Looking back at it, Lucy could not believe that she had done such a stupid action which had only brought unwanted attention to her as every sailor began shooting at her and Arrowspeed had difficulty dodging all the missiles. But apart from that one close call there was little to remark for on that journey, the two of them passed many small islands yet somehow Lucy knew that none of these islands were Aslan's island.

"Where exactly are we heading Your Majesty?" Arrowspeed asked, "As it is but midday and my wings already tire."

"I know not, my dear friend, but we must carry on." Said the determined Queen. "Yet I see a small island up ahead, if your heart so desires we may rest there for a short while, yet we cannot afford to lose too much time."

Arrowspeed gave his thanks and swooped down to the tiny speck of sand that jutted out from the rest of the great blue water. Lucy, restless, walked around the island, impatient to move on. Her thoughts travelled between thoughts of her siblings probably fighting on the battlefield and Aslan and where he was. But she was disturbed from her thoughts sooner than she thought.

"Psst!"

Lucy turned around and saw a mermaid sitting at the edge of the island.

"Psst!" The mermaid said slightly louder now.

This time Arrowspeed turned to look and quickly hurried over to Lucy, eager to defend her from any possible danger, but Lucy dismissed the protective gryphon and walked cautiously towards the sea-creature.

"Your highness," The mermaid said, her voice sounding like waves lapping up on the shore. "Where you wish to go?"

"To the end of the world." Lucy said, intrigued by this magical creature.

"I take you there." The mermaid whispered, and before Lucy could reply or Arrowspeed argue the fish-like woman had taken Lucy's wrist in her own slippery, webbed hand and had dragged her into the water. The mermaid swam so fast Lucy could never remember a time where she had travelled faster, of course with the exception of riding Aslan.


	30. The Battle Begins

Wow! Onto Chapter 30! But don't worry, only two chapters left. I have been updating more than normal partially because I am on holiday and partially because I am going on holiday tomorrow and won't be able to update. I'm sorry, but you will have to wait some time for the next update.

But I hope you like it all the same.

Also because I have been updating more rapidly I seem to be getting less reviews. Keep it up people, please!

Oh and Happy Easter! Don't forget to think of Aslan sacrificing his life for us.

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><p>Chapter 30 – The Battle Begins<p>

Peter

The shroud of mist that had been so strong this morning was slowly fading away and Peter stood on the battlefield and watched his opponents carefully. Earlier he had received messages from Edmund and Susan that they were ready to charge whenever he would command them to do so, they were amassing in the forest as they had been told.

The enemy had gathered in great numbers and Peter's nerves were raised as he began to worry for the upcoming battle. Everyone knew the battle was inevitable. The messengers had returned with information for Peter that all indications were that the enemy would advance as soon as dawn broke, and indeed dawn had crept silently and was now present. Behind him stood his loyal men, silent, waiting for the moment, waiting to fight, waiting for battle. Many of the foot soldiers were carrying long spikes while others simply had their natural weapons with them, such as their teeth and claws. These soldiers stood erect in lines of palisades to slow the attack and give cover to the archers. The hum of the army drowned out the morning song of birds, yet last night when the soldiers had snatched a few hours sleep, owls could be heard hooting from the forest. The stars had been brilliant and the moon had been almost full; and when dawn had come a mist had risen from the sea and the sky had become overcast.

Eril was standing at the back of the army, Peter had insisted that he did not fight but Eril had persisted and finally the two of them had come to an agreement, that Eril would only fight if absolutely necessary and the old man was stationed at the back so that he could give tactical advice as well.

Lucy and Lune had already left, the plan was finally in motion, and no doubt soon the battle would start. Now the men readied themselves: rows of archers and foot soldiers behind the palisades; horsemen and centaurs with drawn swords. The soldiers were restless and sweating in the still warm morning; banner-men held the crest of Narnia – a roaring lion with four crowns underneath. Here and there one could see the scarlet and gold of decorated armour, and the flash of steel swords, knives and lance tips. The grass was shooting new bright green, and flowers dotted it, white, pink and pale blue.

Peter felt his heart swell with pride and confidence. He could not conceive that this magnificent army could be defeated. This was the day that the Narnians would banish evil forever. A general approached Peter, out of breath and sweating.

"The enemy has amassed in numbers greater than our own." The general said panting, his face sombre.

"We will win this battle," Peter said to him, "but it will not be easy, or short."

They clasped hands briefly then turned to face the enemy as a horn sounded and a shower of arrows came down upon them.

Peter ordered the Narnians to free their arrows and the arrows were freed and disappeared upwards into the light mist, which had almost faded completely. The general who was standing next to Peter clenched his sword and shield preparing himself for the volley that was sure to be sent back by the enemy and they did not have to wait long. Arrows began to shower down from the sky and Peter raised his shield which had been given to him by Father Christmas himself. No arrows hit him but the King watched as many good soldiers fell around him. The volley ended and Peter sent one back at them, and sure enough another was sent back at the Narnians.

"Fire at will!" Peter finally shouted. "Archers move back, infantry forwards!"

Peter lifted up his sword and looked around as the infantry shuffled in, ready to charge.

"For Narnia and For Aslan!" Peter shouted charging with his sword in front of him up the steep hill that the enemy were positioned on.

Peter fought as if in a dream, men around him were slaughtered and he remembered attacking the enemy and killing several soldiers but looking around Peter remembered that his soldiers seemed to have difficulty killing the enemy. His soldiers would swing their swords or aim their spears and their aim would be true yet the enemy's armour just sprung his soldiers' weapons off as if some enchantment had been set on their armour.

Peter fought on, possessed by blind fury. The mist dulled vision and hearing, yet he was still vaguely aware of the screams of soldiers, the sigh and clack that preceded another deadly shower of arrows, the shouts and grunts that accompanied the heavy labour of slaughter, but he himself was dissociated from it, as though he was in a dream. The fray was so intense that he could hardly distinguish his own men from Sorugyn's. Banners fell in the dust, crests were obliterated by blood.

All hope of defeating the enemy seemed lost when suddenly a horn sounded behind and a small bird alighted on Peter's shoulder and whispered into his ear words that Peter never knew could sound so sweet.

"Eril' daughter, Ama, has seemingly risen from the dead and raised an army which have just joined us on the battlefield."

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><p>Edmund<p>

A horn echoed around the forest walls. It was the signal and Edmund looked around at his men and motioning for them to be quiet they all crept forwards, silently, carefully placing their feet so that even the smallest of twigs would not break. Firth was walking by his side, Edmund was at the centre of his army, the centaur general Ensar was leading the left flank and Acontia with the help of Waen would be leading the right flank. They could almost see the battlefield and Edmund looked towards the east side of the forest where Susan would surely be marching also towards the battlefield. They would surround the enemy and Sorugyn would surely be defeated.

* * *

><p>Susan<p>

On the east side of the forest Susan was similarly walking towards the battlefield as quietly as was possible, yet unlike Edmund her mind was not on battle but on a certain magician named Mahaid. She wished she could reverse time and apologise to him, but it was too late now, he had disappeared. No one knew where he had gone to. Susan had this horrible gut feeling that he was truly a traitor, no matter what he said, and that he had joined the troops that had come all the ways from Calormen to aid Sorugyn. She was almost at the border of the forest and she sent up a swallow to see whether Edmund was also ready to take the plunge and march into battle.

* * *

><p>Lucy<p>

They were here, they were at the end, she couldn't believe it. The water was sweet as she remembered it, and lilies crowded her way as she waded through the pure white flowers to get to the island that stretched across the ocean. She waded closer and soon she could see Aslan's majestic figure lying, as if asleep, on the yellow sand. His golden fur seemed somewhat duller and Lucy quickened her pace.

But Aslan was not the only one on the island. A soldier walked into Lucy's view, he was heavily clad and his hand rested on the hilt of his sword. Yet strapped to the soldier's belt were two things that Lucy longed to see. Her small dagger and her beautiful cordial were carefully strapped to his belt. The man paced in front of Aslan, at one point Aslan seemed to twitch as one does when one has a dream, and the man kicked the sleeping Lion and laughed at the great creature's powerlessness. Lucy would not stand by and let this happen.

Lucy silently crouched down and removed her dagger, with extreme precision she let the dagger fly. It hit the man directly in the neck where he had no armour, she let another dagger fly and within seconds the soldier was dead and his blood defiled the golden sand on which his corpse lay. The young woman stole her cordial and dagger from him and rushed over to Aslan. She lay by him and shook him attempting to wake him up, yet nothing happened, he did not stir.

"Oh Aslan," She cried helplessly, "Please, we need your help, wake up."

Yet still Aslan did not even raise an eyelid, she might have taken him for dead except for the comforting heat that he radiated from his body. Lucy, at a loss of what to do dropped a few drops of her sacred cordial into his mouth, yet it did nothing to his motionless body. Involuntarily tears began to fall down Lucy's face as she saw this creature that she so worshiped and loved above all else seem so hopeless. She hid her wet face in his beautiful, soft fur and prayed.

* * *

><p>Peter<p>

Peter and what remained of his soldiers were forced back down the hill. He saw his companions fall one by one around him, but each one took down two of Sorugyn's men with him. Peter was left facing two enemy soldiers, a tiger and a man mounted on a horse. He was exhausted but the enemy seemed to yet be full of energy. But still he parried the hacking blows from the horseman, driving his unicorn closer to the other steed and bringing his sword quickly back down as the horse stumbled. He saw his opponent's blood spurt and he knew that he had disabled him for at least a moment or two; he turned to counter the tiger on his right, killing it just as it leapt up and sunk its teeth into his unicorn's neck. The poor creature shuddered and plunged sideways, knocking the other horse in the shoulder; it fell, unseating its dying rider. Anduad, the faithful unicorn stumbled heavily, throwing Peter to the ground on top of his enemy, and collapsing over him, pinning him down.

Men fought around him, only caring for themselves. They did not notice Peter. No one came to free him until he saw a shape soar down from the sky and land by his feet. It was a heron. But this was no ordinary heron, dumb or speaking, this heron could change its shape and in that moment it turned into the most beautiful person his eyes had ever settled on. Ama stood before him, bow in hand, hair tied back with a piece of leather, looking quite the warrior. Words lacked him as joy over took him. Ama simply smiled at seeing her dearest and most beloved.

She wasted no time removing the dead unicorn from Peter. Although they both struggled Peter was soon free. He stood with difficultly, his ankle was probably sprained, he wished to continue fighting as his sword seemed the only sword that was able to harm the enemy, but Ama refused to let him fight and she led him back and saw to his already swelling ankle herself.

"What happened that day, Ama?" Peter asked, wincing as she touched his sore ankle.

"I was swept away from the river; I was unconscious and was swept downstream." She said while rubbing a soothing cream on his ankle. "Some dryads tried to drown me but some travellers rescued me. I told them about the upcoming battle and they agreed to join me. We collected more troops along the way; I attempted to arrive as soon as possible."

"Have you seen your father?"

"Yes."

The two of them sat in silence as Ama gently wiped Peter's face free of blood with a warm cloth. Just as she was about to take her hand away, Peter gently clasped it and held it to his face.

"We should return to battle." Ama stated slipping her hand out from under his.

But Peter caught her hand again and pulled her so that she was sitting down next to him. Slipping his hand into his pocket he brought out a ring, the ring that had been her mothers.

"Amethyst, daughter of Eril. I love you more than any other that has walked this earth. I worship the very ground you tread, and my heart broke when I thought you dead. I realise now that I cannot live without you, I know that we haven't known each other long, but I promise never to leave you, I will be by your side my entire life, through good and bad. I'll always be protecting your back, for you are so very special to me and I am so in love with you. You made me feel things I have never felt before. I will be your knight in shining armour, to protect you from whatever life throws at you. Be my wife, and give me the privilege of being your husband, always and forever."

"Yes, yes." Ama replied without hesitation and Peter put the ring on her finger. She threw her arms around him and tears of happiness fell from her eyes. The two of them laughed in happiness and kissed before they held each other's hands and left the medical tent and joined the clash of men.

"Retreat!" Peter shouted.

Peter had been proud of his men's attack, but he was even more proud of them when in the misty spring day they obeyed the orders instantly and began to retreat. The swiftness of the turn took the enemy by surprise and they teared down the slope after the Narnians. The Narnians must have seemed a pitiful force to them. Their foot soldiers, over-confident, began to stream down the slope, their weapons out. At once the Narnian archers let fly and the enemy ran into a hail of arrows, yet very few fell down injured or dead. Sorugyn's archers retailed but by this time the Narnians were beyond their reach. The Narnian soldiers swept forward and drove Sorugyn's army back up the slope. Peter knew that his men were well trained but their ferocity surprised him. They seemed unstoppable as they surged forward. Yet still enemy received minimal damage.


	31. Protection

Okay, Finally next chapter is up. I really liked writing a battle - it's great fun. Anyway, I know that some have wanted a Edmund Acontia kiss - but I'm afraid you are still going to have to wait a while - sorry.

Anyway, please enjoy and give me some idea of how I'm doing by posting a little review.

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><p>Chapter 31 - Protection<p>

Edmund

Edmund turned his horse and faced his soldiers. He felt a surge of regret for those who would die, but at least he had given them the chance to die like Narnians, he thought, he was giving them the chance to fight for their land and families. He called to the banner-men and they rode with him at the front with their banners streaming in the wind. He looked at the golden lion roaring on the banner and he silently prayed to Aslan. Suddenly he felt Aslan's spirit posses him. The great lion's spirit seemed to slide beneath his skin, aligning itself in his bones and sinews. Edmund drew his sword Seren and the blade flashed in the sun. The soldiers responded with shouts and cheers.

Firth rode off into a canter; he went forward calmly and eagerly, as though he was riding through a meadow. Ahead of them there was a bright gap in the foliage where the road emerged from under the trees. Silhouetted against the darkness were dark shapes, like the shadows against paper screens that amuse children, writhing and clashing in the contortions of slaughter.

Edmund had thought to use archers first, but as soon as he saw the conflict ahead he released that the archers would kill as many allies as enemies. A banner-man raised a horn and blew it, its haunting, eerie voice echoing across the battlefield. There was a moment of stillness, the moment before the wave breaks, and then Edmund was among them and the fight had begun.

Only the chroniclers writing afterwards can tell you what happens in battle, and then they usually tell the tale of the victor. There is no way of knowing when you are locked in the midst of it which way the fighting is going. Even if you could see it from above, all you would see would be a quilt of pulsating colour, crests and banners, blood and steel – beautiful and nightmarish. Everyone on the battlefields go mad: how else could they do the things they do and bear to see the things they see?

Firth instinctively found a way through the crush, always turning at the right moment to give Edmund an advantage. Unlike the others Edmund had no problem slaying the enemy; his sword did not seem to bounce of their very skin. Seren jumped in his hand until it streamed with blood from the point to the hilt.

There was a thick knot of men around Edmund, and Edmund became aware of a similar cluster ahead. He could see Sorugyn's colours fluttering above it. The two clusters surged and swirled as men rose and fell around them, until they were so close that Edmund could see his counterpart in the centre of the other.

Edmund felt a rush of recognition. This man wore black armour, with purple stones lacing in and out at various points along his breastplate. Their eyes met above the sea of struggling men, and Sorugyn smiled. Wrenching at his horse's head and urging it forward, he broke through the protective circle around him and rode at Edmund.

"King Edmund the Just is mine!" He yelled.

The men attacking Edmund fell back a little and the two leaders found themselves face to face a few paces apart. This makes it sound like there was time for Edmund to think and conjure some plan, but in reality there was none. Later these scenes will return to him in flashes. Sorugyn was in front of him, grinning and laughing, making Edmund feel all the more nervous. Yet Edmund did not show this. He sat straighter on Firth and raised his sword, Seren ever higher. Sorugyn dropped his reins and lifted his swords with both hands. His horse was bigger than Firth, and he was much larger than Edmund. Edmund was watching the sword, which appeared to be on fire from the moment it began to move, and Firth was watching it too.

The blade flashed and Firth jumped sideways and the sword hit only air. The huge blow however did not seem to dislodge Sorugyn as it should have done, and he swung his giant sword once more. This time it was too fast for Edmund and clipped him on the shoulder. Edmund winced it pain and returned a swipe, which Sorugyn avoided by leaning back. However this unsteadied him and the evil man had no choice but to either drop his sword or dismount his horse. Sliding his feet free of the stirrups, he held the horse's mane with one hand and with surprising agility swung himself to the ground. In the same movement he rushed at Edmund with a stroke that would have taken off his leg had Firth not moved. Sorugyn's men moved forwards and could have easily have overpowered Edmund.

"Stay back!" Sorugyn shouted at them. He was determined to kill the Just King himself.

Both the men seemed to be possessed by some immense fury, each fighting for what they believed best. Edmund dropped the reins and was about to dismounted when suddenly he found himself being hurled up into the air. He landed several feet away, with Firth on top of him pinning him down. Firth screamed in pain as his limbs were broken and blood leaked from his head. Edmund received no lesser wounds and was stunned by the magic Sorugyn had used to defeat him.

Edmund saw his men try to attack Sorugyn in revenge and anger, but Sorugyn killed them all with a flick of his wrist. The evil man slowly walked up to Edmund laughing menacingly.

"Look men!" He shouted to the crowd of men who had gathered around. "This is how you kill a king."

Sorugyn raised his blade which had orange flames flickering up and down it. Edmund struggled as he tried to get free of Firth's body, but Sorugyn only laughed at Edmund's futile attempts. The sword was about to come down when suddenly someone lept before Edmund and raised their twin swords to counter Sorugyn's stroke.

Edmund recognised the figure immediately even under all that armour and helmet that she was wearing. It was Acontia.

"How dare you prevent, Sorugyn, the true King of Narnia from killing his prey." Sorugyn snarled.

"You are no true King!" Acontia hissed back, pushing her swords against his forcing him back and he unlocked his sword from hers and stepped back a few places to look at her.

"You can't kill me, woman!" Sorugyn said baring his teeth slightly in a menacing grin.

"Don't you recognise me?" Acontia asked raising her hand to her helmet. "Don't you recognise your own wife?"

She removed the helmet now and let it clatter to the floor as Sorugyn gasped in shock.

* * *

><p>Susan<p>

Although she would not admit it, Susan was beginning to remember things. She remembered all the battles, skirmishes and wars she had fought in here in Narnia. Suddenly she realised that all that she had fought in before had been nothing. These were hardened troops, well armed, ferocious, cunning, and protected by some spell that stopped them from being hurt. They seemed invincible. As soon as they had seen the banners with the lion with the four crowns underneath it, the whole of Sorugyn's army knew who they were fighting – the Kings and Queens of Old. Killing the four monarchs was the goal of half the army.

Susan had already shot three soldiers, and was only saved by pure luck. One of Sorugyn's archers had aimed his bow at her and let go of the arrow which had sped through the wind, heading straight for her. It should have hit, yet moments before it maimed the Queen it burnt in orange flame and the ashes scattered to the ground.

She looked in surprise at the ashes which were now blowing in the wind, and was shocked by this. Who had saved her life? Suddenly she felt a body ram into hers and she fell to the ground yet she wasn't hurt as two strong arms wrapped around her slim body and protected her as she was pushed to the ground. Above her a cloud of arrows whizzed and passed.

"Thank you." She said to her mysterious hero.

She turned her face and saw the dark face of Mahaid, and involuntarily struggled away. He let her go, his eyes not leaving hers. He said nothing but stood up and sent a lighting strike at the archer who had tried to kill Susan. The dwarf disintegrated into dust. It seems as though the magic that protected the enemy from arrows, swords and spears had no defence against magic.

"Mahaid," Susan shouted above the sound of battle, "Can you give our troops some protection, similar to the one that the enemy has, or perhaps you could lower their protection spell?"

"I could protect perhaps a dozen or so people, but I would not be able to protect our whole army. Lowering their protection spell, perhaps, I can try." He replied.

Mahaid closed his eyes and his face wrinkled as if he was under great pressure. Susan covered him as he remained in this vulnerable position. He opened his eyes, and suddenly there was a flash as a small group of Sorugyn's men to the left of Susan stopped fighting. The Narnians took hold of this opportunity and surely enough the spell had been lowered on those soldiers and the Narnians had no difficulty killing them.

Susan joined in and shot several soldiers, and Mahaid continued to lower the protective barriers and Susan protected him while he was doing this. However she did not notice as a faun prepared to shoot her. He put his arrow to the bow and let the arrow fly. It hit Susan on her left shoulder and she screamed out in pain dropping to the ground.

Mahaid's eyes shot open and he turned to his injured queen, calming her with soothing words he gently pulled out the arrow shaft and laid his hand over the bleeding wound. The skin slowly began to come together and the blood stopped flowing. The wound was healed within seconds but Mahaid stood panting, out of energy.

"That is the third time you have saved my life within a few minutes." Susan whispered, smiling at him. "Thank you once again."

"I had no options but to do it, you are my master." Mahaid replied, his voice even, betraying no emotion.

"About the other day..." Susan began.

"I know, I should have been more reserved and said such things." Mahaid interjected.

"No, you were right to say what you said. I was the one in the wrong, and I was hoping you could forgive me." She said lowering her pride. She thought it would hurt to lower her pride as such, yet it felt as if a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"There is nothing to forgive." Mahaid said bringing Susan closer to him, until their lips were touching. Susan put her hand into his hand and brought him closer to her so that their bodies were pressed up against one another.

"Watch out, catapults!" Someone shouted and the two of them ducked as a boulder rushed over their heads.

* * *

><p>Edmund<p>

All eyes had moved off him, and were now fixated on Acontia and Sorugyn who stood staring at each other. Sorugyn quickly collected himself and smiled that smile he did when he was taunting people.

"I did not believe that it would be me to kill you, and I must say I do it with a heavy heart Acontia. I love you, we can still be together you know, we can rule over Narnia in peace as you always wanted."

"You are a liar!" Acontia screamed in response, "You killed my brother, now in revenge I will kill you!"

"You don't have the strength to do it. You know that." He taunted back, "You know I am the better swordsman."

"If I can't defeat you then I will die trying." She said, lunging at him, he sidestepped the swords with ease.

"Then I believe your life is forfeit to me."

"You broke faith with me when you ordered my brother's death." She replied, "Any bargains we had were annulled then."

"It is the same blood that flows in you as it did in your brother; it makes people so very disobedient." Sorugyn's eyes were fixed on Acontia's and he seemed to try and use some magic on her, however she managed to resist it. They continued to hold each other's gaze for several moments, neither of them able to dominate with their magic.

"You murdered him," She said "What was the purpose of all this? Why must you kill so many innocent people?"

Sorugyn hissed impatiently and with lighting movement slashed at Acontia with his sword. She dived sideways, Edmund had no illusions about her ability but he knew without doubt that Sorugyn was the better swordsman. Sorugyn jumped after her, feinting at her, and then moved faster than the eye could follow in the opposite direction trying to slice her neck off; but she had anticipated the moved, slipped under his grasp and kicked at him from behind. Just as she was about to bring her sword down his sword intersected. He then drew his sword upwards and Acontia let out a scream as she felt it slash into the side of her right hand, taking off two of her fingers and opening up her palm so that she was forced to drop one of her swords.

She clung onto the sword in her left hand but the pain was terrible. Her blood spurted across the muddy grass and blue flowers sprouted wherever the red liquid flowed. She screamed again in pain and she attempted to swipe her sword at Sorugyn. He leaped away with unbelievable speed and then seemed to fly back and swipe at her head. She ducked just before he managed to severe her head from her body. Acontia then leaped into the air and landed, all the time knowing that if she gave into her fear and pain she would die. Acontia drove at him from behind but Sorugyn responded quickly. He had the advantage as Acontia's hand was still bleeding freely and her sword was shorter than his, but Acontia was both brilliant and desperate. They drove each other up and down the short space of the battlefield that had been cleared for them. Sorugyn seemed to stumble but just as Acontia was about to stab him, he lifted up his sword and stabbed her in the ribs.

The sun had almost set and Acontia fell to her knees, her second sword dropped out of her hand and her eyes stared at Sorugyn.

"Traitor, why did you betray me, and your own brother?" Sorugyn said walking up to her and stroking her raven hair, "Why did you betray the people you loved? If you hadn't I wouldn't have had to kill you, see, and all would have been well. Why did you have to make me become a widower, my beautiful, darling wife?"

He put his hand on Acontia's pale cheek and gentle stroke his thumb up and down her face, caressing her skin. She smiled up at him, tears filling her eyes; she leant into his hand and put her hand over his. He smiled at his wife and move as if he would kiss her, but at that moment she began to shine so brightly that all the men on the battlefield stopped fighting and shielded their eyes from the light.

But Edmund squinted his eyes and watched what happened that evening on the battlefield. He saw a light that seemed to come from inside of Sorugyn burst and slowly the man began to crumble, until there was only a pile of dust before Acontia, who had fainted and lay on the ground, surrounded by blue flowers which had grown from her blood.


	32. Aslan Awakes

Hope you like this chapter. Thank you for all your reviews - really inspiring. Also this is the second last chapter, so don't worry, its almost over. Yay! But I think I'll miss the Pevensies not to mention Ama, Acontia, Mahaid, Lune and all those characters I came to know so well.

But enough of me talking, let's go to Narnia.

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><p>Chapter 32 – Aslan Awakes<p>

Lucy

She had wept and prayed for the whole day, she had not left Aslan for a moment nor had she slept or rested. But it was worth the wait to feel a great shudder run though Aslan and see his eyes blink open. Lucy could not believe that he had finally woken and she stared at him in the fading light - he had never looked larger nor more glorious. The great lion stood up and shook his mane, spraying sand across the island. Lucy had never been happier and hugged the golden lion, laughing with joy.

"Oh Aslan, I though you would never wake." She said, her voice muffled by his immense and shinning mane.

"I have been asleep too long, young one." He purred back, nuzzling her face. "I have been weak, but I feel my strength coming back to me."

At that moment Aslan roared, as if to prove his new found strength. Jumping over Lucy his eyes flashed brightly. "We must go quickly if we are to end this war. Jump onto my back as you have done before, child."

Lucy did as she was told and Aslan did not waste a minute as he ran off. Lucy was at first confused as Aslan was running on nothing but the sea water, but she did not question him, after all he was Aslan. They rode noiselessly; Aslan's paws made neither mark nor sound on the cool water's surface.

"Aslan." Lucy whispered in his ear.

"Yes, dear one." He said back.

"There is a man at the castle, Lune is his name, I have this feeling in my heart that he is wounded. He needs our help."

"Indeed he is wounded." Aslan replied, "He was a good child of mine, but there is no time to save him Lucy. We must hasten to the battlefield. Sometimes we must let those that we love go."

"But Aslan," Lucy said aghast, "We cannot let him die."

"Why? For every moment we lose healing him, the more people die fighting for Narnia. How many people will you sacrifice for his life?"

Lucy did not know what to say. Lune was a good man, as faithful as any to Narnia. He did not deserve to die alone in a cold and dark room on an evil island. "Please Aslan." She begged, a lone tear fell for the fallen soldier, "Aslan, he protected me so that I could come and find you. If he had not done so I would probably be dead. Please! Aslan, pity him."

Aslan's feet changed course ever so slightly and Lucy thank him silently nestling her head in his fur.

"Know this, young one." He said in his deep voice "I only do this for you. This will not happen again."

"Thank you."

There was a flash of blinding white light, and Peter had to shield his eyes. It was coming from his right. The man that Peter had been fighting lowered his sword as if in a dream and Peter did not hesitate in killing him. The man fell down dead, his eyes blank. Peter looked around him and saw that the rest of Sorugyn's men had seemingly stopped fighting; they all looked like they had just woken up from a trance and found themselves unexpectedly in the middle of a battle.

Their protection spell also seemed to have been lowered and the Narnians had no difficulty killing them, they soon managed to drive them to sea which foamed red with their blood. The battle was almost won and victory seemed near, but as the full moon rose ever higher in the sky an armada of ships approached the bloodstained shore of Narnia. It was a Calormene fleet. The few serving enemy soldiers rushed for the ships and were pulled onboard.

"Reform!" Peter shouted, grabbing a horse from a retainer. "Reform the lines!"

The soldiers did so orderly and the archers stood at the back ready to fire. Peter ordered them to do so and many of the Calormens fell dead. More bloodshed seemed inevitable and Peter readied himself to see more of his soldiers fall. They fought the whole night and as the sun began to rise Peter saw a figure walking from the rising sun to the shore.

It was Aslan and it seemed as if he was the sun, he could only faintly see his shinning figure outlined by the red orb rising in the east. Peter heard him roar and clamped his hands over his ears. Fear took over the Calormene troops and they turned their ships as quickly as they could and wordlessly returned to their country.

Peter panted; the battle was ended, so swiftly with only a roar. Sorugyn surely must be dead, Narnia was free, and he was engaged to Ama. Life didn't seem so bad.

Aslan walked towards the shore Lucy on his left, Lune on his right, Lune had a ridiculous smile on his face while Lucy was smiling contently. The Narnian army bowed down to their true king and Peter and Ama did the same. Aslan walked up to them and commanded them to rise.

"Well my children, even I did not foresee your love." Aslan said looking from Peter to Ama. "May your marriage be blessed." Lucy raised her eyebrows at her brother, "But now Ama, I have a task for you."

"Yes Aslan?" She asked, yet her eyes were not able to meet his terrible, blazing, golden orbs.

"Fly to your father, I much desire to speak to him." With this Ama changed into a heron and flew off. "And you three, find your brother, he is hurt. I will speak now to Susan."

Lucy took Peter with one of her hands and led Lune with the other, "So Peter you're engaged now." Lucy smiled "Well it looks like I am going to have another sister."

Meanwhile Susan walked up to Aslan, her head bowed; she could not look at him.

"Susan," Aslan said in a whisper so that only she could hear. "Do you love me?"

"Yes." She replied in a whisper.

"Do you love me, Susan?" He asked, slightly louder now.

"Yes." Susan said, also louder wondering whether he had not heard her the first time.

"Do you love me?" Aslan roared it this time.

"Yes, I love you Aslan. Please, forgive me." She said dropping to her knees; Aslan did not answer or say anything for a while so Susan continued, "Please forgive me for not believing that you were real."

"But Susan, you never really forgot did you? _Once a queen of Narnia, always a queen of Narnia. _You were always Queen Susan the Gentle and you knew it, but you chose to leave it behind you, didn't you?" Aslan asked, there was a vicious edge to his voice, but what he said was not unkind.

"You sent us back, back to England – we were perfectly happy here, in Narnia, but it was you who sent us back." Susan accused, and immediately felt wrong for saying so.

"But you chose to leave me; you chose not to have faith in me anymore, it was you who chose to forget that I even existed. But Susan, you have another chance, will you remember and recognise me now?" Aslan asked pushing Susan's face up so that she was forced to look at him.

"Yes, Oh Aslan I know you now." She said, wrapping her arms around him, her tears falling into his mane.

* * *

><p>Edmund had lain under his horse the whole night and only now had he managed to crawl out from under Firth, who was unconscious, probably from the injury he had taken to the head. The men seemed to have left the battlefield and were now fighting on the shore. He crawled towards Acontia's body which lay in a field of flowers. As he crawled among the flowers he felt his wounds healing until he no longer had to drag his limbs with pain but could crawl normally.<p>

Blood was running freely from Acontia's stomach and from her hand also. Edmund did not know what to do, he could not save her, but he could not let her die. He took her up in his arms and cradled her, gently stroking her hair. Acontia flinched at the contact and she forced her eyes open. She smiled when she saw him and he smiled back.

"Edmund." She whispered, the effort clearing straining her.

"Oh Acontia." He said fighting back the urge to cry as he held her frail body in his arms. "Thank you for rescuing me. I would have died without you."

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner." She whispered raising her hand up to his and holding it tightly, desiring human contact.

"Love means never having to say you're sorry." Edmund said smiling at her, repeating her brother's final words. She smiled back at him, and he kissed both her hands slowly, her blood now on his lips.

"My eyes darken, my life is leaving me. I expect I will be joining him soon. I have completed what I set out to do." She said taking his hand in both of hers.

"No you can't die! You will not join your brother; you will stay here in Narnia with me. I will save you." Edmund said desperately, the tears in his throat becoming ever stronger. He searched her eyes and they smiled back at his, their blue orbs clinging urgently on to life.

"I am broken," She whispered, forcing her eyes open once again, "Let me go Edmund."

"No, I will not let you."

"I am no longer ashamed to go to my brother. I did what I set out to do." Acontia said closing her eyes, her breathing slowing as her life began to leave her.

Edmund pressed his lips to hers and held her like that, tasting her blood. The tears that he had been holding back came through and his body convulsed in big shudders as he poured his soul out among the flowers.

At that moment Lucy, Lune and Peter walked and saw Edmund.

"Why is it, whenever I am away from my brothers for even a moment, they seem to be wooing all the women around?" Lucy asked good-heartedly when she saw Edmund embracing Acontia.

But Peter knew better, he held the smiling Lucy back as soon as he saw Edmund's body shaking with tears. It did not take Lucy long to understand. The three of them watched Edmund holding Acontia in his arms, the sound of his sobs echoed across the battlefield.

"She is not dead." A deep voice said from behind them.

Aslan padded quickly towards Edmund and Acontia and Edmund sat up and faced his king. Edmund could not mutter any words of greeting to Aslan through his tears.

"Stand up Edmund and join your siblings." Aslan ordered quietly, wordlessly Edmund obeyed. As soon as he stood beside his brother and sister, Lucy hugged him, trying to comfort him in his time if grief.

First of all Aslan licked Acontia's hand which had been cut, he licked all the blood away and sure enough, the fingers which had been cut off re-grew, and then Aslan breathed on the star's face yet she did not move. Edmund moved towards Acontia but Aslan issued a deep, rumbling growl and Edmund proceeded no further.

Two birds soared down from the sky, a heron and an eagle, the last of the shape shifters. At landing the two of them changed to their human form and bowed.

"Fetch a healer quickly, Eril." Aslan commanded, glancing at them over his shoulder. Ama meanwhile moved over to stand next to her beloved. "Lucy, stop standing there, there are many who still need your help."

"Will my cordial not heal her?" Lucy asked her, taking her flask out and heading slowly towards the star.

"No," Aslan replied not taking his eyes away from Acontia, it was sacrilege to kill a star and he would do whatever it was in his power to save her, but Lucy could not. "Your cordial heals mortals, she is no mortal, she is a star - meant to last the ages."

Lucy fled then and rushed to heal more of Narnia's loyal warriors.

"You have done well." Aslan said looking at the five that remained, as Susan had now also joined them.

"Aslan?" Peter asked, just as Aslan was about to turn away. "We have a question to ask you." He said while gripping Ama's hand. "Would it be possible for my siblings and I to stay in Narnia."

"Of course, I wouldn't want to break off an engagement." Aslan said smiling as a grin crossed the faces of the Pevensies. "It wasn't I who brought you here anyway, Acontia did, I don't think it is therefore fair of me to send you back."

Edmund turned to Peter and looked at him in wonder, "You're engaged?" He asked.

Peter smiled at his brother, and clutched Ama closer, planting a quick kiss on her cheek.

"So just to confirm," Edmund said to Aslan, wiping away his tears "We're not going back."

"I didn't bring you here this time, my child, I will not send you back, but maybe in time you will find your own way back."

Aslan turned his back to them and picking up Acontia in his mouth he began to carry her towards two fauns who were hurrying this way with a stretcher. He gently placed the star on the stretcher and she was hurried off.

"Will she be alright?" Edmund asked, catching up with Aslan.

"Perhaps," Edmund looked downtrodden. "But, my child, she knew what she was doing; she knew that it would be hard, if not impossible to kill Sorugyn. However what she did not know was that Sorugyn would haunt her. I believe she told what happened between her, Sorugyn and her brother."

Edmund nodded.

"When Sorugyn killed her brother Iliad, he took her brother's powers, he became her brother. Acontia always had a part of her brother inside her, as you have a part of your siblings inside of you. But that part of her brother inside of her, which was once her brother, is now Sorugyn. If she lets go of her brother, she will survive, if not then she will die, and then within a year, two stars will have fallen."


	33. The Coronation

Last Chapter! I say no more.

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><p>Chapter 33 – The Coronation<p>

It had been decided at the council that the Pevensies would resume their rule over Narnia and Aslan himself would crown them. But for now they were allowed to relax in the warm late-spring days, or at least they were allowed to relax between outfit fittings and crowning practices. But in their free time Peter would spend his time walking with Ama, often they would walk among the training grounds and they would challenge each other to duels and contests. Peter would win sword contests and Ama archery ones. They would laugh and stroll in the warm weather.

Susan would often spend time either with Lucy, by herself or with Mahaid. The times that she spent with the latter, they would stroll together in the southern part of the garden, where there were a great amount of ponds. They would sit on the edges of the pond and bask in the sweet sunlight. Every time they would leave with their cheeks and stomachs aching with all the laughing they had been doing.

"You look splendid." Mahaid said one day, as he was waiting for Susan to come down after breakfast.

Susan blushed, "Thank you."

"Not that that it is out of the ordinary, you always looked splendid, especially when that little blush of yours creeps up into your cheeks." He said taking her hand and kissing it, Susan giggled slightly and clutched his hand as they walked out into the gardens.

"Now that was bold, my dear Mahaid," Susan replied teasing him, "I could have you punished for saying things like that."

"You have my humblest apologies, Your Majesty." Mahaid replied, half joking, half serious.

"There is no need to apologise; I like a man who speaks his mind." Susan replied smiling and flashing her pearly teeth at him. It was Mahaid's turn to blush this time.

When Susan was not with Lucy, Lucy would spend her time either with Nutchit or with Lune. Lune was grateful for her rescuing him, and had dedicated himself to the four monarchs but especially Lucy. The Pevensies had decided to knight him for his services, along with Acontia, that was if she got better in time for the coronation which was when they would announce the list of those who would be knighted. Of course only the Pevensies knew, and they were keeping it a surprise.

Lucy and Lune would spend time together as friends by the sea-shore and Lucy would tell him stories of the Golden Days. Lune would listen attentively from dawn till dusk as often they would spend the whole day there, basking in the golden sunlight of the beach, splashing in the waves with the naiads.

Edmund however did not spend his time outside, he would go out only when Lucy and Lune physically dragged him out and even then would he would not spend more than an hour or so in the sun. He spent his days by Acontia's side, in the medical wing. This was where he had first seen her all those months ago when she had ridden wounded on Waen. Waen also stayed often by her mistress side, but Firth would often invite her out for a gallop in the grounds and the mare could not resist. Once or twice Firth tried to take Edmund out as well but no avail – he would not leave Acontia's side.

His siblings worried about him naturally - they did not like to see him waste away inside while the weather outside was so glorious. It was the one time that Edmund left her side to quickly grab some lunch when Acontia finally began to wake up. When he was walking back to the medical wing he heard screams echoing from the great hall in which the sick and injured lay. He ran as fast as he lanky legs could take him and skidded to a stop where a thin sheet separated Acontia from the rest of the ward, pulling it aside he saw Aslan there by Acontia' side.

"Carry her outside." Aslan ordered.

Edmund walked over to Acontia and picked her body up with great ease, carrying her limp body out into the sunshine, he lay her out on the grass underneath a tree. She had stopped screaming, but was muttering words that Edmund could not catch, her eyes firmly shut as if trying to block out memories engraved in her vision.

Aslan motioned for Edmund to step back and Aslan lay down beside Acontia and slowly began to lick her face as a lioness licks the face of her cubs. Aslan looked down at her and roared. Acontia's eyes flashed open and again she began to scream as if she was afraid of Aslan. She writhed and shouted as if in pain and Edmund instinctively went towards her, wanting to hold her in his arms. He thought that Aslan would stop him, but he didn't and Edmund took the star in his arms and rocked her soothingly. At his contact she stopped screaming and looked first at Edmund, then at Aslan who held her gaze. They gazed at each other for a long time until finally she began to cry, but Edmund was there to wipe and kiss the tears away.

"Did you love Sorugyn over me?" Aslan finally asked the weeping star.

"You know I did not." She replied, cleaning herself up.

"Then why did you betray me?"

"Because of my stupidity." She replied and bowed her head. "Punish you as you will Aslan, for I deserve it."

"No." Aslan said after a long pause, "I will not punish you because you are not a traitor; you have merely been the tool of one. I don't punish tools. They do harm only in the hands of a bad workman. You have been punished enough and I hope that you will not make the same mistake again. It is over; Sorugyn has been banished from your body. He will haunt you no longer."

With that Aslan left the two of them, and Edmund did not see him again until the coronation.

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><p>The food was laid out, the monarchs were cloaked in splendid finery, and the crowns were laid out. The Four Monarchs of old stood outside the splendid doors that lead into the great hall, Aslan turned around and smiled at them.<p>

"You were all so much smaller the first time I crowned you." He said and put his paw on the doors which opened.

A fanfare greeted the Pevensies and they gasped when they saw the amount of creatures packed into the hall, they couldn't believe it possible that so many creatures were here watching them – it seemed that the whole of Narnia was standing here. Ama and Eril stood at the front row in their human forms. Ama had platted feathers into her hair for the occasion and was wearing her engagement ring and the heron necklace that Peter had carved. She looked gorgeous and Peter had to put great effort into dragging his eyes away from her.

Mahaid and Lune stood together clapping as the women they loved walked past them. Neither of the girls had even seen the two men dressed in such splendour. Mahaid looked very noble in his outfit of yellow, orange and red however Lune looked rather out of placed. Lucy had to stifle a giggle when she saw him. She much preferred him in his battle-clothes.

Acontia was standing alone and near the back. There was a faint glimmer around her as she stood in a simple white dress which, unlike what most of the other women were wearing, did not show off her slim figure but flowed gently around her, drifting in the slightest of breezes. Her onyx hair was crowned with a simple circlet than shined like the stars in the night sky.

After the coronation the populace gave their gifts to the newly crowned Kings and Queens, which ranged from foods to blessings. Acontia for instance, on behalf of the stars, blessed the monarchs and this blessing could be seen by a slight shinning that their crowns had ever after. A great feast ensued and there was much dancing afterwards. Peter and Ama were the first to the floor and all the monarchs danced for a while but Edmund not having much liking of dancing gave his apologies and stumbled outside to get some fresh air.

"Your highness." Several otters said bowing as the King took to the balcony. Edmund breathed in the fresh air and looked around him. But a few feet away stood Acontia staring at the setting sun.

"You tired of the festivities?" He called out.

"You can't hear it can you?" She said, ignoring his previous question.

"Hear what?"

"The stars," She replied looking deep into his dark eyes, "They are singing."

"Why are they singing?" He asked slowly placing his hand over hers. He watched for a reaction but she did not mover hand away.

"We have to sing the sun to sleep, it is one of our many duties."

"Do you miss them – the stars?" Edmund asked looking away.

"Yes." She replied. Then she began to sing softly. The song sounded like a lullaby. Her voice, though quiet, rung out across the beach which the balcony faced onto. Just as the sun fully dipped past the horizon she stopped singing and gazed up at the sky where the first of the evening stars were visible.

Edmund smiled at her and she turned to face but then she began to blush and turn her head down.

"That was embarrassing." She muttered.

"No, you have a nice voice. You are a good singer" Edmund said encouragingly.

"And you are a liar." She replied laughing away his comment.

"Care for a dance?"

"Of course." The two of them returned to the festivities inside and danced until the sun had risen once again.

THE END

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><p>Cannot believe that it is over, I don't when I will next return to Narnia or whether I even will return there and write what happens to the monarchs, we'll have to see how I feel.<p>

Well good bye for now, hope to see you soon.

TheEveningStars

Over And Out


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